Evangelizing the suburbs

Al Mohler's radio program aired an episode last week that is worth making time for. The show was about the difficulties in having a vibrant spiritual life when you live in the 'burbs. It can be found here.

One problem I see is that most Christians have adopted a style of evangelism that is incompatible with the insular life of the suburbs. If we advocate relationship-based evangelism, where you want to know someone well prior to sharing the gospel with them, how can this be done when you usually only see your neighbors as they're pulling into the garage just before the door comes down behind them?

Evangelism in the suburbs is seldom successful because building relationships in the suburbs is seldom successful.

Working for the weekend

We're back home. Our mountain vacation gave me plenty of extra time (while the family was sleeping) to finish two messages I'll give this weekend at our church's men's retreat.

I've profited greatly from Christian biographies over the years and will now get to share this gift by presenting a message on the life of reformed missionary John G. Paton (leaning heavily on John Piper's message from a few years ago).

My second message was more difficult to prepare, but I finally found a title that I like: "The Role of Islam in the Providence of God." I'll get to use my master's degree research again, but the message has been updated significantly since last year thanks to some new sources that have come to my attention.

Should be a great weekend! And before that I get to see some old friends in Texas!

Still goofin around

Enchantment Circle Pictures

Our little family reunion is a lot of fun for the children--and their grandparents. Our kiddos get some extended time with their cousin, and we're all enjoying what is called the "Enchantment Circle"--Taos, Angel Fire, Eagle Nest, and Red River.
Isaiah and cousin Parker (also 4 yrs of age) playing in the creek behind our Adobe.
Racing in Red River
Roasting marshmellows over the Kiva
Boating in Angel Fire

Covenant seminary courses on your iPod

Covenant seminary has begun to offer (for free!) several of their classes via podcast. So far there's Dr Calhoun's reformation and modern church history, an Old Testament history course, Dr Doriani's life and teachings of Jesus, a class on Christian ethics, and one on youth ministry.

In iTunes, go to music store, select Podcasts, and type in "Covenant Seminary" in the search window.

Noble Savages of Northern New Mexico

We're currently spending some time in Taos--my first time here. It's picturesque and still largely an undeveloped land of mountains, streams, and prairies. Today we took the tour of Taos Pueblo, where multi-storied adobe buildings have been continuously inhabited for over 1000 years.

Our tour guide repeatedly emphasized the religious nature of the Taos pueblo people as uncorrupted by the influences of civilization. They lived in innocent harmony with nature, were generous, faithful and selfless.

Our guide's monologue was full of disdain for Christianity--which apparently had been forced upon them hundreds of years ago. We entered the pueblo's Roman Catholic church to find an icon of Mother Nature elevated over an image of Jesus Christ, and learned that parishioners choose during the service which god they worship. But she made it clear that the younger, hipper natives reject the Christian faith.

Anthropologists have constructed an idyllic but imaginary past for the native American peoples that has largely been accepted in our culture, but all sentimentalism aside, these people are still in their sins and without Christ.

Here's another reminder that foreign mission fields exist within our own borders--in our own backyard. The reservations scattered throughout our country--sovereign nations--deserve more missions-minded attention and prayer.

Mix bad theology and the Internet, and what do you get?

The Cyber-Church of Jesus Christ Childfree

Pullquote: "Jesus is known to have tolerated children in his close vicinity on two occasions." Apparently, the rest of the time He considered them to be distractions.

The PCA: a Missional Church?

The brutal truth: the PCA is not being used by God to convert many in our country to the Christian faith. According to our denominational statistics for last year the entire PCA had a net growth of only 74 members by profession of faith. 83% of churches in my denomination had 5 or less adult conversions that led to membership. To hear more about this and some analysis listen to Randy Pope's message from General Assembly last month.

While that is a major concern for prayer and action, I am heartened by how missional my local PCA church is. Tens of thousands of dollars, a large percentage for our small church, go to local and foreign missions. Admittedly, giving is only one part of what it really means to be missional, but it is an important part.

The session unashamedly declares that when faced with either putting refrigerated air in the sanctuary or funding the spread of the gospel to Muslim refugees in Greece, there's no contest over where the money will go. We could have a much nicer looking facility, and maybe some day we will, but for now there are too many more urgent needs to address.

God has used our church's mission mindset to motivate Kristin and I to reconsider what more we can do. One idea we have heard of from others and have begun to implement is to systematically step down our "standard of living" spending (e.g. home supplies, restaurants, entertainment, etc) incrementally, freeing up this money for giving. I bring up this action carefully, knowing that it can be perceived as boasting and prideful, but I genuinely don't think that is my motivation. I needed to hear of this approach to increased giving, and by mentioning it here I hope that others reading this may also find the joy that comes from using less and giving away more.

The surest way to learn...

...is to prepare to teach. Next Sunday I will speak on the Fifth Commandment for about an hour. If I didn't prepare for this lesson, I would have nothing more than a couple of simple, disjointed things to say about this subject. It would be shameful to treat such an important topic so lightly.

It is not without reason that Scripture warns those that teach of greater judgment. There are many dangers. A boring lesson fails to call people to action. An exciting but erroneous lesson can do great harm. And teaching to impress others, rather than to serve them, will lead to a fall for you and your people. But a desire to truly serve those you teach is great motivation for hours of preparation.

It's regretful that we naturally do not like to study the Word in depth. But we can be thankful for forcing functions like teaching. Its joy lies just over a hill of preparation.

My sin is pride

That's a song title off a recently released bluegrass CD that I enjoy, and a fitting autobiographical statement.

Suffering, the necessity of it and our cowardly avoidance of it, is a recurring blog theme here. I know too little of it myself. I think back to days before children when I would relish evenings for their entertainment and mornings for sleeping in, ambivalent to Scriptural responsibilities that called for me to make use of that brief, less encumbered time with intensified service in Word and deed. Now that the pattern of ease has been set, it is hard to alter course.

But more on my mind this week is the deadly danger to suffering and sacrifice--it is pride's fuel. Generous giving, fasting, abstinence from all manner of vice is fine food for the flesh. As has been said, even my repentance wants repenting of.

Happy Independence Day!

You can't see me!

This little prairie dog jumped the wall around our backyard yesterday and soon found out what Border Collies do. Our dog corralled it into the corner or our backporch, but then didn't know what to do with it. The prairie dog stayed facing into this corner, in full view of all of us, for a long time, apparently thinking that if it cannot see us then we must not be able to see it!

This made a great illustration of our children's catechism question 11:

Q. Can you see God?
A. No, I cannot see God, but He can always see me

After that teaching point I took a shovel and...chased it out of our yard.

Airshow!

I love this picture of Isaiah...you think he got into the show?

With patience and teaching...

...do the work of an evangelist (2 Tim 4:2-5). I met again with my Mormon co-worker this week, it was a very good meeting. The more we talk through the Bible and the Book of Mormon, the wider the separation grows between the LDS faith and that of historic, orthodox Christianity.

For instance, the Book of Mormon clearly and strongly rebukes people like me who say that the Bible is God's only special revelation to man. Consider this passage from 2 Nephi 29,

"Many of the Gentiles shall say: A Bible! A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible." To this God is said to respond, "because that ye have a Bible ye need not suppose that it contains all my words; neither need ye suppose that I have not caused more to be written." (verses 3, 10)

My take-away from our meeting was that the Book of Mormon has taught my friend that there are holes and gaps in the Bible and that some of God's revelation has probably been lost over time. There may even be holes and gaps in the Book of Mormon (although less of them). The result: he has less confidence in both books than I have in the Bible alone.

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever (Isaiah 40:8).

Isaiah Turns 4!

Praying with the Psalms

I'm always looking for resources to renew my times of private worship, so last week I was pleased to find Eugene Peterson's Praying with the Psalms.

It provides short daily written prayers centered around the Psalms; yesterday's is especially applicable for me. Reflecting on Psalm 86:11, "give me an undivided heart to revere your name," we respond in prayer:

God, my soul feels scattered and incoherent like that poor wretch Legion ("for we are many"). Gather up my diverse needs, my conflicting desires, my jumbled identity, and make a harmonious whole of me, "give me an undivided heart to revere your name". Amen.

Which would you choose?

One easy way of discipling my wife is to offer her good audio to listen to during work-outs, errand running, chores, etc. Yesterday Kristin listened to John Piper's message, Living to Die, and was struck by the following statement:

If you had a choice of having a healthy baby or one with very special needs, which baby would you choose?

We made that choice several times during the adoption process; each time we picked the healthy baby.

Piper reminds us that the Apostle Paul was never scared off at the possibility of difficulty--suffering wasn't even a factor in what he decided to do. He did not interpret "countless beatings", "sleepless nights", and "daily pressure" as a sign from God to change his ways (see 2 Cor 11:23-28).

But that's why he's the Apostle, right? That can't be normative for you and me! But it is; Paul again, "I urge you, then, be imitators of me." (1 Cor 4:16)

An Anxious Moment

I can be a nervous person. Certain events have a way of consuming my thoughts, and tomorrow contains one of those events. I shouldn't be anxious, I've prepared as best I can, and if I told you what the event was you'd think I'm being pedantic.

Nonetheless, adrenaline has been flowing for most of today and is likely to worsen as I draw closer to the event tomorrow morning. It's times like this when I have the hardest time believing God. The best I can do is to repeat to myself over and over promises like this,

The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. (Psa 138:8)

Living on Aloha Time

Kristin and I arrived back home in Albuquerque today after 5 nights in Hawaii. It was great to have her with me on this TDY, especially since it was our 12th anniversary.

It felt odd having so much time together with nothing really pressing to do. We're not used to living on Aloha time.

Here's the view from our hotel room on the 24th floor overlooking Waikiki beach.



We enjoyed Bishop Museum where several times the role of missionaries was highlighted in abolishing the Hawaiian caste-like system called taboo, specifically and repeatedly calling these missionaries "Calvinists!" There's also a Missions Museum nearby but it was closed during our free time.



We also took the Dole pineapple plantation tour, enjoyed some pineapple ice cream, and I learned that pineapples don't grow on coconut-like trees, which I had previously thought.



On the Lord's Day we worshiped with a classmate of mine from AFIT at a breezy Southern Baptist church where many of the men were sporting Father's Day leis.

He recommended Bellows Air Force Station as a good semi-private beach to visit. It was beautiful; we loved the combination of shore, woods, and mountains.



One of our last stops was a stroll through one of the botanical gardens on O'ahu, as expected it was lush and full of wonder.

We're full of mahalo for our friends at church who did a fantastic job caring for our children while we were away. Isaiah has already asked me when we're heading back to Hawaii so he can have more fun! Alaho time is over for us for a long time, and it was enough. Kristin and I enjoyed the time together, but missed the children. We're pleased to be back where we belong.

Becoming Willing to Suffer

I've been very impressed with the Desiring God podcast; I especially recommend the two-day broadcast called Living to Die that aired last week. Here John Piper preaches on a Biblical truth that American Christians don't believe: the necessity of suffering and God's design in it.

While talking to Kristin tonight I realize that the reason we continue in my present job is because we don't want to suffer financially. We'd have to give up our nice standard of living to pursue seminary or some other work.

Randy Alcorn has a helpful point of view. He says that God prospers me not to increase my standard of living but to increase my standard of giving. The last two Sundays we've heard reports from Missionaries raising support; one for a border ministry south of us and another for Bible translation in a Muslim region of the world. What joy it would be to support both these kingdom works! And we can if we free our money for ministry instead of personal ease. And that's our plan--to be willing to suffer in this small way.

The Poor and the Providence of God

One of the criticisms I hear against God's sovereignty over all things is that this message doesn't "sell" well with the poor. This is why, they say, you don't find many reformed churches in inner cities and other hard places--only white-bread yuppies like to believe that God intended for their life to turn out the way it did. The prosperity gospel, on the other hand, allegedly offers real "good news" to the down and out.

Last night in family worship our reading was from James 2. Verse 5 informs us, " has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those that love him?"

Again and again Scripture speaks about God's providence and the poor. And for those that love Him it is good news--not of fat wallets and personal victory, but of rich faith and a kingdom to come.

Anniversary Trip

Less than a week from today Kristin and I will be enjoying four nights in Hawaii! I have a business trip there that also coincides with our 12th wedding anniversary. Thanks to some very loving families in our church who will watch our children for us, Kristin and I will get some time together. We're excited!

3rd Annual Graduation Celebration

Our third year of homeschooling ended recently, which meant it was time to celebrate the accomplishment of another year "in the books." Since we have several homeschooling neighbors with similar-aged children, we celebrated together at the Officer's Club park. These neighbors have been helpful to us; and I believe it's been mutual. What a beautiful evening for s'mores, playgrounds, and friends.

No wine during worship, but cheese is okay

Young people tell me that a lot of the high-tech worship is "cheesy". [They] witness some of the cheesy video and computer "art" in worship and see it for what it is: kitsch. Stock clip art: the sun shining on the cross, running streams, baby faces--all of the stereotypical images that say, "Christians are crummy artists and naive sentimentalists."

To them, such kitsch is like handing out illustrated kids' Bibles to high school students and telling them that these images represent the depth of insight and excellence of the Christian faith.

-- Quentin Schultze, by Faith magazine, June 2006

Trying Too Hard

Thesis: no matter how much Scripture and catechism parents teach their children, if the children do not enjoy their homelife, the parents are in great danger of losing them to the world.

We've taught our children Scripture and catechism from their infancy, and in the past I've felt rather good about that. But this weekend a personal testimony, a movie, and the example of our neighbors convinced me that we too often lack joy in our home, and this problem has the power to easily and totally ruin our efforts towards raising godly children.

Parents have a tendency to push upon their children too forcefully the one thing they most want their children to be, and ironically, the children end up hating that particular thing most of all. This can be done with sports, with reading, and also in the teaching of the Christian faith. The answer is not to give up, rather it must be taught appropriately, and always with a measure of joy in the child.

I don't excuse the child in this process, they are often as stubborn and cranky as their parents. But I do see here a lesson that I need to learn--to raise children not just intentionally, but joyfully, too!

Albuquerque Makes Christianity Today

Unaccountable at Calvary Chapel. I saw this on the Reformation 21 blog, which adds some good comments here. I wrote Rev Ryken a short note, accepting his offer to come and teach in Albuquerque.

Bailey Adventure Park

Our home has been known to neighbors as "the Youth Center" because it's a popular place for their kids to hang out. Adventure Park is also a fitting description. Here's a picture of Kristin holding a homing pigeon that's been living with us since yesterday. We entered the number on the bird's legband into the international federation of homing pigeon fanciers website and are waiting for instructions on whether to launch him or wait for a pick up.












Besides the petting zoo, our home is also part water park. Look at the height of the geyser that erupted just outside our back yard this afternoon. Fun for kids of all ages! And admission is free. Who said home is boring!

Don't know a whit

Tomorrow is Whitsunday. "Whit" is short for white, the color of the robes that were worn by those baptized on Easter. Whitsunday is better known in America as Pentecost, the day we remember that the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples in power just as Jesus had promised (Acts 2).

There was a time when I didn't know a "whit" about the Holy Ghost. In 1994 I had several charismatic friends who had convinced me of the need to speak in tongues. I joined them for a "tongues" church service, and prayed with tears for this gift.

And a number of Mormons over the years have described to me their personal pentecost experience as the confirming mark of being in the true faith.

Someone has said that the Holy Spirit is the most misunderstood member of the Godhead, and that fits with what I see in the Church today.

What more appropriate prayer could be prayed on this day than for the Holy Spirit to lead the Church into all truth concerning Himself.

When They Don't Want You To Come

The last post was about my plans for a evangelistic, neighborhood Bible Study; I'd like you to briefly meet my neighbors.

Living in an Air Force neighborhood organized by rank, our neighborhood is very homogeneous--same pay, same age children, etc. But in regards to Christ, it's night and day. Take a look at this icy exchange from our neighborhood e-mail group. (Keep in mind all kinds of neighborly announcements flow over this distribution).

It began with this invitation to the neighborhood from one of the ladies,

Carla Smith is hosting a study called "The Five Love Languages" by Gary Chapman. It is a Christian book and is wonderful. The study will go for 5-6 weeks starting Thursday, June 1. Contact me if you're interested.

I've read Chapman's book; I can't think of anything in it that unbelievers need to worry about. But it's clear that anything "Christian" will upset some of our neighbors. Here's the response that came back as "reply to all",

Please do not include us on e-mails to all for these type of messages.

Thank you.

John and Sally Miller

and this then this one,

I second that.

Thank you.

Jenny

John Piper has said that the Great Commission will not be fulfilled until Christians are willing to go to those who do not want them to come. He was referring to many of the Muslim nations, but the same is true in my own neighborhood, there are many who do not want to hear about Christ. My initial reaction is to say, "fine, we won't bother with you." But the right response is just the opposite. We need to strive to love these people, rather than give up on them, hoping that God will soften their hearts as he has done for me.

Evangelism and the Greatest Commandments

We're going to start a neighborhood Bible study this fall. A neighbor (who also attends the same church) and I are making the plans; it'll be geared for unchurched and unbelievers.

As I think through why we're doing this it better be because we have a love for God. We want to see his renown grow, his name loved more, his worship flow. We're motivated by the greatest commandment--to love God with all our heart, mind, and soul; but that isn't enough.

We must also be motivated by the second greatest commandment--to love our neighbors as ourselves. This means that we better genuinely enjoy spending time with our neighbors, count them as true friends, and sincerely want the best for them.

If we neglect the greatest commandment in our Bible study, we are nothing but man-pleasers. But if we neglect the other great commandment, we are worse--we love neither God nor man.

Audio Recommendations

I have two new recommendations for you.

First is the audio from the Together for the Gospel conference. I really like the idea behind this ministry. For too long, evangelical congregations haven't been willing to work together to bear witness to the unity of the Church. Instead, loyalty to a denomination or fellowship of churches has too often taken precedence over the claims of truth and faithfulness to the Gospel. Conference speakers: R.C. Sproul, John MacArthur, John Piper, Mark Dever, Al Mohler, C.J. Mahaney, and Lig Duncan.

Second, I enjoy projects that re-introduce forgotten hymns by setting them to better music. Some hymns have great theology and great music -- I don't think those should be messed with -- but plenty of other hymns really need to be set to more suitable tunes. Indelible Grace paved the way, and this week I discovered Red Mountain Music out of Birmingham, AL. These projects help private worship and theologically-rich meditation.

No more "I don't knows"

My Mormon co-worker, Mark, came back to work after a long time away from the office. We had lunch together this week and, again, it's cause for some reflection.

LDS theology is quite the self-licking ice cream cone. Whenever they are forced to acknowledge an unrecoverable error in their belief system, new revelation has a funny way of coming along and clearing up the matter. This happened with polygamy when, coincidentally, new revelation officially ended the practice the same timeframe that Utah was admitted into the Union.

And it was revealed that blacks were no longer the cowardly, cursed sons of Cain as earlier Mormon leaders had taught; they could even obtain the Mormon priesthood. This prophetic word didn't come until 1978--strangely similar to the timing of the civil rights movement.

The same goes for theology proper. Christians who embrace the orthodox, historic faith may have to say "I don't know" from time to time. I, for one, don't know how Adam and Eve could fall, or what that passage about baptizing the dead is supposed to mean, etc. But Mormons have no qualms about going beyond what is written (1 Cor 4:6) to clear things up. This has resulted in some fanciful constructions about spirit worlds, men becoming gods, etc. When you can get away with making things up by calling it continued revelation, you seldom have to say "I don't know."

Here's hoping that someday soon, a new LDS revelation will come along that not only declares "no more revelations" but clears away all the earlier ones!

The Ascension of the King

Lift up your heads, O gates!
And be lifted up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.

Clap your hands, all peoples!
God has gone up with a shout.
The great King reigns over the nations,
He sits on his holy throne.

The Lord dwells on high,
He has passed through the heavens,
putting everything in subjection
under his feet.

He is not ashamed to call us brothers
so, let us hold fast our confession.

Our eyes will behold the king in his beauty;
we will see a land that stretches afar.
Behold Zion, the city of our
appointed feasts!

Ascension Day, 2006
Reference:
Psalms 24, 47
Isaiah 33
Hebrews 2, 4

Turning back on the day of battle

The way I see the world, every Christian has a place in an epic battle fought on many fronts. For some the battle is waged on the border of Kenya and Somalia, urging Muslims to be reconciled to God. It is fought in the inner cities of America, pouring out your life for the "undeserving." For others the battle is at home, raising up the next generation of warriors. Every Christian is to fight the old man, putting to death what is worldly in them.

So am I meanspirited if I get frustrated by believers who stand on the sidelines of the battle, not taking part in it but instead securing more and more "personal peace and affluence" for themselves? Not everyone will fight the same way, nor with the same devotion, so I am careful not to judge those I do not know. But when I look up from my battle, even this pathetic fighter can feel like he's the champion on the field only because so few are fighting.

In ancient times, the enemies of the Christian were loud and obvious--gladiators, lions, burning stakes. Today's enemies are much more dangerous--apathy and affluence--they lull the believer into nominal Christianity that attempts nothing for God.

The Ephraimites, armed with the bow, turned back on the day of battle
Psalm 78:9

Want an Instant Family?
by Kristin

Have you ever wished you never answered the phone? I knew who it was—Unknown from area code 317. She had called three times last week. I spoke with her in December, November, and last summer before we adopted Faith. I knew it would tug at my heartstrings, but I took the call today just to see….

While talking to her I kept thinking about Psalm 9 that I had read earlier today.

I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart;
I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.
I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

I was ready to spout out how happy and complete our family is. We may adopt later, but not now.

If you haven’t guessed the call was from a Miss L at an adoption agency. We networked with several. We still get about one or two emails a month to see if we have adopted yet as they ran across our file. Yet I had talked to Miss L in December and explained that we adopted and wanted to wait until the new baby was at least a year old.

The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
And those who know your name put their trust in you,
for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.

Miss L explained that she knew we had adopted already, but wondered if we could provide a home for a Black American 3 year old boy. He would be turning 4 later this month. She went on to say that the agency never, hardly ever, placed older kids, but Miss L explained that they had 5 placed already this year and it was only May! Since we had a Black American baby girl, would we be interested in considering a brother for her?

Sing praises to the LORD, who sits enthroned in Zion!
Tell among the peoples his deeds!
For...he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.

She then went on to mention that the boy had a sister that was 4 and turning 5 next month. It would be preferable to keep the sibling group together, but understandable if we could not.

I can not say no. I told her I did not think we were the right family. Tim and I have always talked of 4 to 6 kids, but lately 4 to 5 seems to be feeling like the max we could handle. I then reminded her that we have 4 kids now. She had overlooked that on our application, noted it, and was still hopeful that we would send our portfolio.

Miss L mentioned the price—total cost of the adoption for both kids. It was less than what we spent in August. She then went on to mention that the Mom of the children is pregnant with a 3rd child due next month, different father, this child would be bi-racial. It would be so easy to have an instant family of 7 in just under a month.

For the needy shall not always be forgotten,
and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.

Surely there are other Christian families who would open their homes to these precious kids. My heart strings are tugging and my engineering brain is calculating. Miss L was so hopeful we would be able to provide a home for these kids. We pray for a home for them to be found soon.

Double your money!

My 8 year old son Eli has been pretty diligent to save the money he earns from various family chores. He can get pretty excited about this and earlier this week boasted to Isaiah, my 3 year old son, by showing his stash.

Isaiah saddened that he had only a single dollar bill in his plastic piggy, was determined to catch up to his older brother quick. He said to Eli, well I can make money, too. And then quickly ripped his dollar in half, and said, "See, now I have two monies!"

Bunny Tales

Back in December my car wouldn't start. I popped the hood and a large rabbit leapt out at me and scampered off. The varmit had a taste for my plug wires, the remains of which are shown below.



I had the car towed to the shop; the service department entered my car into their database with this discrepancy, "Evil Bunny Ate Wires."

This morning Eli took our dog out of the room she sleeps in at night and put her outback. As he was doing his chores back there he noticed that Glory darted off after a rabbit and then suddenly froze in place. Here is what Eli saw.



Apparently the rabbit was running at full speed when he tried to escape through the crevice between our house and the wall around our backyard. He died on impact. I came home at lunch, pried him out, and disposed of him. Could this be divine retribution? Was this the same rabbit that disabled my car? I like to think so.

Hear C.S. Lewis

Hear the only surviving audio recording of C.S. Lewis's Mere Christianity talks as broadcast on BBC in 1944.

Thanks to Mars Hill Audio for the link. They add, "hearing Lewis's voice offers a feeling for his personality. But the recording is also a reminder of how much public culture in the West has changed in 60 years: try to imagine any country in which government-sponsored broadcasts could contain this kind of content."

Defining and Defeating Worldliness

Here's a great, short definition of worldliness from David Wells, "Every thing in a culture that makes sin look normal and righteousness look odd." Easy to remember, and helpful in that it reminds us of the coercive power of sin to make unrighteousness look right.

I'm also thankful for an old Scottish sermon entitled "The Expulsive Power of a New Affection." Here I've learned that you don't defeat worldliness in your life with a list of don'ts, but with a new affection--a love for God.

Today's Christian Youth

Our children's piano teacher, who I believe is 16, was in our home this evening while we were out. She has been raised in a Christian home and attends the largest church in New Mexico, a Calvary Chapel.

When we returned home, she told me she liked this book a lot, holding up our Trinity Hymnal. I told her it was our church's hymnal. I'm not sure, but the look on her face told me this may have been the first time she has seen a hymnal.

She turned to the back and said, "it has the Apostles' Creed in it. I thought that was Catholic. I've never read it before, except when I went to mass with my friend. I loved going to mass. I gotta go. Bye!"

Is such an utter lack of Christian knowledge peculiar to this one young lady, or is it representative of most of today's Christian youth?

It is a Kindness

Today my boss told all his people how exceptionally good we all are. It doesn't matter who wins the awards, we're all the cream-of-the-crop, the best-of-the-best. He says these kinds of things often--it is a kindness--but it can not be true.

Today my God told all his people how exceptionally stiff all our necks are. It doesn't matter who wins the award, we're all among the chief of sinners, the hardest of heart. He says these kinds of things often--it is a kindness--and it can not be untrue.

Let a righteous man strike me--it is a kindness;
let him rebuke me--it is oil for my head;
let not my head refuse it.
Psalm 141:5

A Reminder to Myself

Now that I'm teaching adult Sunday School again, besides having less time for the blog, I'm reminded again of the extra temptations that accompany teaching. The following quote is heavy on my mind lately,

Luther said, "The ministers of the Gospel should be men who are not too easily affected by praise or criticism, but simply speak of the benefit and the glory of Christ and seek the salvation of souls...you will not flatter yourself on the one hand and on the other hand you will not resign from the ministry when you are insulted, reproached, or persecuted."

I fall very short of this qualification for a minister, and so constant reminders are necessary.

Look Dan and Haley!





The Wachdorf and the Steele families have given selflessly of their time and effort in teaching our children in Pioneer club at church. Kristin and I thought Dan and Haley would like to see the petunias they sent home a while back--and posting pictures is safer than putting them in the van.

I find the photo with both Grace and Isaiah in it especially humorous. Grace is intentionally "smiling" in such a way to show that she recently lost her first tooth.

A Fragment of a Poem

The Penitentiary

Israel spent 40 years en route to the promised land,
the Church has hit 2,000.
In old age we sojourn,
singing the Lord's song in a strange land.

Inmates of the one holy, catholic, apostolic penitentiary,
we the penitent, convicted of sin, declare God's judgment just.

Dwelling in this house of reformation,
till the length of our sentence is through,
and our house of correction becomes a mansion in glory.

She Who is Self-Indulgent is Dead

I'm scheduled to teach the adult Sunday School class next week for my first time at this church. My assigned topic is submissive wives--yes, the elders are sacrificing the new guy! Thankfully, there's not much danger with this topic in this church. I don't expect to be thought a Neanderthal by my class if I simply go over what the Bible clearly teaches.

The natural passages to cover are Ephesians 5 (or its twin in Col 3), Titus 2, and 1 Pet 3. But I'm struck by what I've found in 1 Tim 5. The context is whether a woman who has been widowed is worthy of the church's support, but it also contains an inspired test for all women. Consider the brief passage (vs 5-6),

She who is truly a widow, left all alone, has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day, but she who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives.

Paul calls a women dead in this situation if her life is not characterized by hope in God evidenced by supplications to Him night and day.

Verses 10 and 13 present another dramatic contrast. A worthy woman is one who has brought up children and had a life characterized by selfless good works. An unworthy woman is one who has "learned to be an idler," and instead of service to others her life is characterized by gossip and meddling in the affairs of others.

Now wonder Paul is detested so violently by feminists of all stripes.

A Voice in the Wilderness

As I learned from my pastor of a previous assignment, we are like Israel in the wilderness. We've been set free from Egypt (our bondage to sin), but are not yet in the Promised Land (the New Heavens and New Earth).

Will we learn from Israel's blunders? As they wandered through the wilderness their faith wavered, "Is the Lord among us or not?" In their scarcity, they failed to believe God's promises and presence. In our self-absorbed abundance, we do the same.

What I want to be for my wife, my children, my friends, is a voice in the wilderness that refreshes them with gospel promises daily. A gospel voice is crucial; as we go throughout our day a panoply of faith-killing voices all try to lull us to a nominal Christianity. We need to be reminded of what we can't see but must believe.

BTW, both of the above hyperlinked verses are from this morning's daily office.

At Home in Bounty Land

A google search has put me in touch again with Chris, a friend from high school (in my hometown of Seneca, South Carolina). We also went to Auburn University together, but lost track of each other during that time. Like me, he has moved around the country since then, but is back in SC and even bumped into a couple of our other friends from long ago. Which brings me to a story...

Perhaps my most vivid memory from 5th grade was sitting behind Scott Glenn in homeroom when he spoke about Bounty Land Baptist, the church he attended. You could tell he actually liked it--which was a completely foreign concept to me. I believe he was the first evangelical kid I ever met. The dust on that memory was brushed off last week when Chris told me that Scott is now a pastor at Bounty Land Baptist!

Imagine becoming a pastor in the church you grew up in as a kid! Or to say it differently, I'm struck by the thought that Scott, now in his mid-30s, is serving the church he has loved since he was a boy! In our highly-mobile culture, how often does that happen?

Church in the City

When we drive through the bad part of town we spot people on the street corners we know. That's because sometimes they come to our church's worship service and we've even sat together during Sunday school.

Albuquerque, with its temperate weather, probably has more than its fair share of urban issues. So I was pleased to hear Philip Ryken, senior pastor at Tenth Presbyterian in center city Philadelphia, bring up the importance of a church's presence in the midst of the city during a 9 marks interview with Mark Dever, pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in D.C.

If you're in a church in the 'burbs and thinking about the needs of the inner city not too far away, I recommend giving the interview a listen. The church in the city topic starts about two-thirds of the way into the interview.

Lead On

"Make me know the way I should go. Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!" (Psalm 143: 8b, 10b)

What a refreshing passage of Scripture! Many in our day have overemphasized the leading of the Spirit by expecting direct direction from Him for everything they do. As is my tendency, I over-react to others' errors and miss the comforting fact that God the Holy Spirit does guide his pilgrim's through this barren land.

The verse is worded in a way that teaches us to submit to the outworkings of God's sovereign will. David knows God will lead Him in the way he should go--that is not his request. His prayer is that he would continue to believe that -- despite the difficult circumstances -- and come to understand and agree with where God is taking him in this life. David also seeks relief from his persecutors, fleeing to God as his only true refuge.

Crawling Between Heaven and Earth

This post is a miscellany of notes.

As of this post, Faith is officially crawling. She's been doing the backward scoot for a while, but tonight she discovered the forward gear. Kristin: "We are in trouble now!"

In family worship news, we finished reading through the Psalms on Easter Sunday! We'll move onto Proverbs for our OT reading, but add Psalms 23 and 121 to the long-term memory list, which we review once a week.

Had lunch again today with Mark, the Mormon co-worker. I brought my Greek NT and read probably a dozen passages from the English; he seemed somewhat shaken by the warnings in 2 Cor 11 about "another Jesus," "another gospel," and false apostles. Could it be a softening? Please pray so. We meet again later this week.

It's been 3 years on the blog as of last week. I blog mainly as a outlet to flesh out random thoughts while I crawl between heaven and earth. I welcome feedback (via e-mail or a comment) and hopefully edify those that read. With a growing list of folks I know in the real world now blogging (see links under "People We Know"), this is also a helpful way to stay in touch with friends.

Weekend Photos

What a weekend! Good Friday service, neighborhood Easter Egg hunt on Saturday, Easter service this morning and a family hike in the Manzano Mts this afternoon. Here are a few pix.

A Challenge to Women

Good, stout words from John Piper for women seeking godliness.

While I'm on the subject, Kristin recently finished reading a book I gave her, Faithful Women and Their Extraordinary God, by Noel Piper. Biographies can be very helpful, but there are really too few about godly women of the past. This book profiles five ordinary women—Sarah Edwards, Lilias Trotter, Gladys Aylward, Esther Ahn Kim, and Helen Roseveare—who trusted in their extraordinary God as he led them to do great things for his kingdom. Kristin recommends it!

A Gospel-Leavened World

Many of us in the Department of Defense were released from work early today. Why? Because it's Easter weekend of course. But you'll never hear that officially stated. Instead the real reason will have a cover story or, like today, there will be no reason given, just "go home!"

This reveals the leavening effect of the gospel. It has worked through the whole dough of our culture and despite attempts to cover it up, there are areas in our cultural life where it will always poke through.

Another example of this is the silliness of replacing B.C. with B.C.E. The incarnation is too world-transformative to be hidden with such a thin veneer.

Bribed?

You will hear everlastingly that the rich man cannot be bribed. The fact is, of course, that the rich man is bribed; he has been bribed already. That is why he is a rich man. The whole case for Christianity is that a man who is dependent upon the luxuries of this life is a corrupt man, spiritually corrupt, politically corrupt, financially corrupt." G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy

I've read recently that 16,000 pastors leave the ministry every year. The pastor that discipled me as a new Christian is now out of the pastorate; he's working for a parachurch group and has a title of "church planting coach." I know enough about the finances of church planting to know he's probably not going to get rich in this position.

But he made that decision a long time ago. He left a good-paying job in corporate America, and with 4 children at home became a church-planting pastor for the PCA. Over the course of the last 15 years that church grew but apparently has shrunk back to meeting in a hotel lobby, his first grandchild was born severely handicapped, and his wife died a slow, painful death.

Other pastors I've known have also dared to give up wealth in exchange for a hard life in the ministry. Compared to them, I'm taking the bribe. The main reason why I plan to stay in my current good-paying job is because it's a guaranteed paycheck and in several years I can retire and draw lifetime benefits. Yet, I get praised by strangers for "serving my country" while pastors quietly serve a flock who gives more scorn than thanks.

Chesterton's judgment is just; I am corrupt and in need of courage to reject the bribe.

Dis-ease

These have been joyless days. Dawn to dusk spent correcting children stuck in a cycle of behavior that is either mean or foolish. Ending the day exhausted and guilt-ridden knowing I exasperated my oldest son again. Haunted by the law, I will reap in him what I sow. Nights with a fussy baby. Ambiguous expectations at work. My cup runs over with frustration, and it spills all over my wife.

The grass looks greener everywhere else. Maybe a life of ease really is the good life? But I am reminded--the will of God is to sanctify me, and seldom is that done through times of ease. I am to focus on God's mercy and not the afflictions.

Full-bodied forgiveness. Faith falling asleep in my arms. A sermon last Sunday so Christ-full, it brought tears. 3-on-1 wrestling matches on the carpet with my children. A selfless wife. This is the good life. Simple, free, purposeful.

O Happy, Happy Day--the Vernal Equinox Approaches!

The government schools around here have next Friday off. The school sign gives the reason for the day-off, but it doesn't say "Good Friday." And it seems that naming "Easter" has become too risky these days. (Of course Resurrection Day is plainly out). No, the school signs along the road announce that this day off is to celebrate "Vernal Holiday." Again I suffer the consequences of a sheltered childhood, I ashamedly admit my ignorance of such an important holiday.

A quick wikipedia serach reveals this is not the purely secular term that I suppose the school board was hoping for. According to the ancient Persian (remember our friend Iran?) mythology this holiday recalls the myth of creation and the ancient cosmology of Iranian and Persian people.

Also, the vernal equinox is the most significant day in the pagan calendar, and some pagans spend the day praying to the goddess of cats, Bast. Not to be left out, the Wiccan Sabbat of Ostara (or Eostar) is also celebrated on this day.

So remember that when you see children out of school this Friday that it's not because their families are thinking of Christ's death and resurrection, but (wink, wink), it's Happy Vernal Day!

You, too, could be God

I had another lunch with my Mormon co-worker, Mark; we only have a little more than a month before he is reassigned to a different base, so I'm glad to have these opportunities to speak with him.

There is humor in our situation. Both Mark and I believe that only the Holy Spirit can cause the other fellow to change sides, neither of us seem willing to abandon hope for a conversion, and we're both trying to be good ambassadors for our respective God. But so far there is no indication of a defection either way. Instead we each present arguments for our position that we expect to clinch the dispute, only to find the other side nonplussed.

Mark thinks that I should find it very appealing that I too could be fully God someday, and that even now I could be part of a "primitive" church with prophets and Apostles receiving direct revelation from a God who still has things to say to His people.

I, on the other hand, think Mark should lose sleep over his low view of God, his insulting assertion that the Holy Spirit didn't speaking clearly enough for the Bible to be reliable, and the strong possibility that Joseph Smith and his followers have been deceived by Satan's masquerades as an angel of light.

Surprisingly our discussions are irenic, and I still pray to be faithful at planting gospel seeds in his life. We meet again next week to discuss the process Mormons use to canonize "continued revelation".

The Christian Talmud

I'd like to know more about the oral tradition of the Jewish faith, with its innumerable regulations of do's and don't's, and how it came to be the rule for faith and practice. I'm told the Talmud has some rather interesting things to say about salvation, such as "he who recites Psalm 145 three times a day will have eternal life." (Pesahim 113a)

Now here's the question I want to get to...have we built our own "Christian Talmud", full of non-revelatory opinions that define who really is a Christian? You would think we have when you listen to the interviews that White Horse Inn conducted during the Christian Bookseller's Association.

It seems that Americans know better than Paul; down deep in our heart-of-hearts we're really good, God knows this and loves us for it. And a Christian is not so much characterized by continuing repentance and faith in Christ, but by a constantly changing list of "Christian fads" and religious-jargon.

The Importance of Insignificance

Most men search for significance, in their career, sports, possessions or even church. There's a popular Christian book by that title that has sold over 2,000,000 copies. This can be an unhealthy quest, by definition very few will ever find significance in any area.

I occasionally find strange things to be thankful for. Baldness is good because it probably helps me stay maritally faithful. Likewise, insignificance chokes pride. If I were to gain renown in some area my problems with pride would undoubtedly only worsen.

So if insignificance can be a good thing, how do we resist the temptation to make a name for ourselves? The search for insignificance ends in the presence of God. Calvin says, "men are never duly touched and impressed with a conviction of their insignificance until they have contrasted themselves with the majesty of God."

Ear Gate Update

If you like edifying and enjoyable MP-3 type audio programs, I'll briefly recommend a couple I've started listening to recently.

Al Mohler's podcast, despite having theme music that reminds one of Bob the Builder, is my new favorite podcast. He provides up-to-date cultural news and analysis from an uncompromising, biblical worldview. To get a good flavor of this show, listen to this one

Ordinary Means has put out three episodes so far and is helping me better understand and articulate to others why the Word, the Sacraments, and prayer are all we need to grow in the Christian life.

Elapsed Time and Real Growth

We welcomed two families from our Ohio assignment and church to Albuquerque this week. They're moving in just down the street from us!

The last year has brought about substantial changes in our families--more children, less hair--very obvious stuff like that. Is our growth in Christ over the last year as obvious? Elapsed time should be a good measure of real growth.

After dinner we spent some sweet time in worship together; the children making prayer requests for babies-in-tummies, the adults sweetening spring-time air with some psalm-singing in harmony.

I've been thinking lately about whether I understand sanctification properly and was edified by what my friend had to say about it. I asked for a recommendation on the "definitive" book on this topic; he recommends J.C. Ryle's Holiness.

Since there are so many books that folks say are "must reads," I've learned to usually wait until three people recommend the same book to me before I make time for it. A couple other folks have mentioned this book from time to time; if any of my readers have thoughts on Ryle's, or other books on sanctification, I'll appreciate reading them.

Hospitality Has Its Limits

In our family worship we have been reading through Romans. Tonight after I read the end of the first chapter about the gossips, slanderers, haters of God, etc, my 3-year old son announced, "I don't want them to come to my house!"

Jemez Falls, NM

After worship today we drove up to the Santa Fe National Forest. It was 72 degrees when we left Albuquerque, but two hours north it was only 50 degrees in the Jemez Springs area. We forgot to pack for the temperature change but fortunately Kristin had a bag of girls clothes for goodwill in the trunk. So the Bailey boys were stylin' in a strange way, but warm.


Our dog, Glory, takes the polar bear challenge


This is the overlook to a large waterfall that was mostly frozen over.


We're now at the top of the waterfall.

Help for Distressed Parents

There is solid help for parents in this old, 36-page book; more than you'll find in much better publicized and lengthier books of today. I read this yesterday during the flight home from D.C.

The original title was much more provocative, "Counsels and Comforts for Godly Parents Afflicted with Ungodly Children." I'll structure this brief review around the key words in that title.

Mather has a test to see if you are indeed a godly parent. Godly parents are more afraid of their children being ungodly than of their being in any other way unhappy. They are afflicted for their children's contrariness unto God more than anything else. Ungodly parents, on the other hand, though the souls of their children are altogether unacquainted with the ways of God, care only that their child be dressed up in a few idle gaieties and, perhaps, some useless accomplishments (see Job 21:11, 14).

His counsel to godly parents is to remind them that their own original sin is written with deleted characters in all the ungodliness of their children. Much of the parents' actual sin can likewise be read in the children's ungodliness. Godly parents are not to forget that persons with uncircumcised hearts are born of such as had themselves experienced a circumcision of God upon their hearts.

More specifically, Mather counsels godly parents to single out the Scriptures which plainly condemn their vices and have the children read those awful Scriptures. Then charge them that, since they will answer before God, they conform themselves accordingly.

Don't humor your children with vanities that appeal to an unrenewed heart. Be as ingenious as possible at making a thorn hedge against every way of sinning attractive to your child. Be especially careful of the company they keep.

Most importantly, remember that distressed parents of old brought their diseased and disabled children unto the Lord Jesus Christ, and He healed them all. Thus, go plead before the Lord!

Have you done all this? Then do not despair, though you do not presently reap the fruit of all, delays are not denials!

They're Merciful to Us

A big blog thanks to Cody and Erika Steele for graciously watching our children tonight so Kristin could enjoy a breather. I'm on the road and have been for most of the last three weeks. Thanks to Christian friends like the Steeles my wife has not yet been driven to desperation! Thank you for nurturing my family with your deeds of love.

Church Is For Losers

The recently deceased and much missed Edmund Clowney wrote The Church as part of a recent theological series called Contours of Christian Theology. It pleases me that the series editor gave such an important topic to a reformed Presbyterian. I finished it this week while on a trip to D.C. My favorite line was,

It [the Church] is composed of losers -- those who have lost everything for Christ's sake, but have found everything in him

This book is largely a scholarly and wide-ranging apologetic against an onslaught of attacks brought against the church today. But Clowney handles wolves on all sides with the composed manner of a mature shepherd. As he says, "love cannot ignore the seriousness of error, but neither can it forget the power of the truth."

Clowney honed my understanding of the Gospel and how it informs personal holiness. Instead of thinking of holiness in "try harder" or pietistic terms, he says,

The life of holiness is the life of faith in which the believer, with a deepening knowledge of his own sin and helplessness apart from Christ, increasingly casts himself upon the Lord, and seeks the power of the Spirit and the wisdom and comfort of the Bible to battle against the world, the flesh, and the devil. It is not a lonely struggle, for Christ gives the Spirit to the members of his body to help one another. Growth in true holiness is always growth together; it takes place through the nurture, the work, and worship of the church.

If you'd like to be better armed against false teaching, you need to read this one.

Burn and Break

"Is not my word like fire, declares the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?" Jer 23:29

Hardened by the deceitfulness of sin
Empty, cold, dull.
Adulterous, apathetic, unbroken
Rock, unfeeling, loveless
Thankless, proud, Diotrephes-incarnate.

Such is my heart in Your sight.

Raging fire, slash and burn,
Hammer of God, bash and turn
until with my whole heart I seek thee!

The Hidden Joys of Child-Rearing

Time for a myth-buster. Some Christian couples put off having children because they're told that children will radically change their life. They imagine having to give up comfortable lifestyles and personal pleasures. They observe other parents obsessing over their children, seemingly unable to think, talk, or do anything unrelated to the kiddos. Here's the myth: your life stops the moment your child's starts.

I bust this myth everytime I have to leave my family. One of the unexpected, hidden joys of child-rearing is how it focuses my private time on what really counts. When away on a trip I have a much harder time pulling off private worship and my personal reading really drops off. I waste too much of these free evenings passively watching TV or surfing the web.

But when at home and the kids are in bed I know I have only a limited amount of time and it disciplines me to make the most of it. And I believe as a result of more time in the Word, private prayer, and useful reading, God brings about growth that otherwise would not have come.

So I think parenting young children offers naturally lazy people like me a forcing function to make those early morning and late evening hours count. Rather than giving up your life, this season of life can help you to cut out the wasted time, thereby redeeming it for more useful purposes.

And lastly, this may also uncover idols of the heart. If you only have an hour or two to yourself each day it's likely that what you run to during that time is your god. When a deer pants for water, it goes where it can be satisfied. So do we. Do we run to Him, and the thoughts of Him, even with the remains of the day?

Wingmen

Yesterday most of my team enjoyed a day out of the office to focus on being better wingmen to each other. We literally put our lives into each others' hands throughout our day of rockclimbing at Socorro (about an hour south of Albuquerque). It's a privilege to lead such a great team of men.

Downsizing Hell

Did you know that religious women are having many times more babies in America than secular women?

First Things' contributor Michael Novak explains the mega-trend in a recent post, but to get this you'll need to put your math hat on for a moment. "Nearly a quarter of the children of baby boomers descend from the mere 11 percent of baby boomer women who had four or more children."

Also, consider the demographics of France. "Among French women born in the early 1960s, less than a third have three or more children. But this distinct minority of French women (most of them presumably practicing Catholics and Muslims) produced more than 50 percent of all children born to their generation, in large measure because so many of their contemporaries had one child or none at all."

Forgive me for the overly provocative title on this post; just because religious folks are having more children than secular ones doesn't mean hell's population growth will slow down. But as Dr. Rayburn points out in his article on covenant succession, "Christian parents do not imagine themselves to be populating hell when they bring sons and daughters into the world!"

So in some sense, one way that this earth can become more like the kingdom of Christ and less like the kingdoms of this world is for this trend to continue.

Hymns for Dummies

When Kristin was planning our wedding she asked what music I would like for the prelude and closing of the service. As a new Christian, I wanted hymns. The problem was I knew next to nothing about them. If memory serves, I picked The Old Rugged Cross, Amazing Grace, and Blessed Assurance. This exhausted my knowledge of hymns. Kristin was gracious and honored what I now view as pretty tacky for a wedding.

How does one overcome such hymnody illiteracy? One way is to make them more accessible, which is basically the idea behind the Indelible Grace CDs.

When I borrowed a couple Indelible Grace CDs from a friend several years ago, I couldn't stand them. But now I listen to them almost everyday. I wouldn't necessary enjoy them during corporate worship, but they can fan into flame moments of personal worship.

I remember a pastor saying that every couple hundred years the Church makes a good hymn. Indelible Grace helps introduce them to poor illiterates like me. Here are the lyrics to one that I've recently grown to love (it's on the lastest CD).

“I Asked the Lord That I Might Grow”

I asked the Lord that I might grow
In faith, and love, and every grace;
Might more of His salvation know,
And seek, more earnestly, His face.

’Twas He who taught me thus to pray,
And He, I trust, has answered prayer!
But it has been in such a way,
As almost drove me to despair.

I hoped that in some favored hour,
At once He’d answer my request;
And by His love’s constraining pow’r,
Subdue my sins, and give me rest.

Instead of this, He made me feel
The hidden evils of my heart;
And let the angry pow’rs of hell
Assault my soul in every part.

Yea more, with His own hand He seemed
Intent to aggravate my woe;
Crossed all the fair designs I schemed,
Blasted my gourds, and laid me low.

Lord, why is this, I trembling cried,
Wilt thou pursue thy worm to death?
“’Tis in this way, the Lord replied,
I answer prayer for grace and faith.

These inward trials I employ,
From self, and pride, to set thee free;
And break thy schemes of earthly joy,
That thou may’st find thy all in Me.”

John Newton, 1779

The Sting of Little Things

Why is it that little things can hurt so much? My pastor's wife says she has no trouble believing that major trials in life are from God and for her good, but little pains and everyday vexations really get her down. She's right.

Today our little thing is neighbor issues. One neighbor called and said that their children can't go with us to church anymore because they don't want their children learning the catechism. My children are hurt by this the most; they loved having friends at church with them on Wednesday nights. It also makes Kristin and I feel like cultists.

Another neighbor quit homeschooling today and backed out of a minor commitment to us. I don't know why this bugs us. I guess in someway the homeschooling families of my neighorhood are interconnected, and when one leaves the path that we've also chosen, we're tempted to question anew whether we're doing the right thing in homeschooling.

I rest in this: "This I know, God is for me." (Psalm 56:9)

Talking to My Windshield

I'm in Seattle for a couple of meetings with Boeing and I ran into my Mormon co-worker that I've mentioned in previous posts. He needed a ride around town and so we spent an hour together this evening negotiating Seattle traffic.

I've been praying for something like this. During our time together I was able to stammer through a presentation of the Gospel according to the Bible (again) and piece together an argument for why direct revelation ceased with the close of the biblical canon.

I do not consider persuasion one of my gifts, and trust that God can not only work through my many weaknesses, but despite them! Yet, as far as I could tell, I was talking to my windshield.

Gotta think how patient God is with me and 'go and do likewise.'

Saying 'Peace', 'Peace', When There is no Peace

During the Ligonier conference Max McLean presented a sermon from George Whitefield called Method of Grace. Read the link if you long to hear a singularly pure Gospel presented with immense feeling and earnestness.

I've posted the following excerpt because it's one of my favorite Gospel themes. We, saved by grace, are prone to wander back to a covenant of works.

When a poor soul is somewhat awakened by the terrors of the Lord, then the poor creature, being born under the covenant of works, flies directly to a covenant of works again.

And as Adam and Eve hid themselves among the trees of the garden, and sewed fig leaves together to cover their nakedness, so the poor sinner, when awakened, flies to his duties and to his performances, to hide himself from God, and goes to patch up a righteousness of his own.

Says he, I will be mighty good now -- I will reform -- I will do all I can; and then certainly Jesus Christ will have mercy on me. But before you can speak peace to your heart, you must be brought to see that God may damn you for the best prayer you ever put up; you must be brought to see that all your duties -- all your righteousness -- as the prophet elegantly expresses it -- put them all together, are so far from recommending you to God, are so far from being any motive and inducement to God to have mercy on your poor soul, that he will see them to be filthy rags, a menstruous cloth -- that God hates them, and cannot away with them, if you bring them to him in order to recommend you to his favor.

My dear friends, what is there in our performances to recommend us unto God? Our persons are in an unjustified state by nature, we deserve to be damned ten thousand times over; and what must our performances be? We can do no good thing by nature: "They that are in the flesh cannot please God." You may do many things materially good, but you cannot do a thing formally and rightly good; because nature cannot act above itself.

After we are renewed, yet we are renewed but in part, indwelling sin continues in us, there is a mixture of corruption in every one of our duties; so that after we are converted, were Jesus Christ only to accept us according to our works, our works would damn us, for we cannot put up a prayer but it is far from that perfection which the moral law requireth.

I do not know what you may think, but I can say that I cannot pray but I sin -- I cannot preach to you or any others but I sin -- I can do nothing without sin; and, as one expresseth it, my repentance wants to be repented of, and my tears to be washed in the precious blood of my dear Redeemer. Our best duties are as so many splendid sins.

Jesus, the Bearded Woman

A great post from my pastor from a previous assignment.

In Brief: Bought With a Price, Day 2

Today was the full day of the Ligonier conference on the Church. As I spoke with people during breaks I was reminded that the Holy Spirit, like a master surgeon, skillfully cuts with the Word according to each person's needs. Parts of the messages that were not particularly impacting to me were invaluable to others. In some sense, the Holy Spirit must individually-wrap each part of the preached Word and personally deliver this bundle of presents to individuals according to their exact need.

I was very impressed with John MacArthur's message on the shepherd and his flock. I regret largely ignoring his ministry in the past. Best line: "A good shepherd is not known by how well he pets the sheep; a good shepherd is to be known by how well he protects the sheep." In the context of his message, this statement packed a big punch.

Lig Duncan spoke on the Invisible Church and warned that those who deny the distinction between the visible and invisible aspects of the Church downplay the sovereignty of the Holy Spirit.

Ken Jones spoke on One Body, Many Parts; he gave two crisp reasons why a Christian must be part of a local church. First, to withhold your presence denies the church access to one of the gifts that God has supplied the church; and second, you are denying yourself access to the gifts of others.

Sinclair Ferguson presented the Church's Message giving powerful illustrations of the gospel. For example, until now I had never seen the beauty of the gospel in the arm-crossed blessing Jacob gives Ephraim and Manasseh. The father's right hand ought to rest on the rightful elder brother, but no, graciously the hand of blessing is given to the other.

Lig Duncan spoke on the Church's Mission in a Piper-esqe way emphasizing that missions exist because worship doesn't. Missions is not the goal of the church, worship is.

Mixed into the day's agenda was a hard-heart-busting presentation of a George Whitefield sermon by Max McLean, 3 small-group prayer meetings, a soul-awakening musical concert, and part one of a Q&A.

What I "Bought With a Price"

Here's what I picked up at the Ligonier Conference bookstore:

The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul (Philip Doddridge, 1745)

Help for Distressed Parents (Cotton Mather, 1694). I love the original title for this one!, "Counsels and Comforts for Godly Parents Afflicted with Ungodly Children"

A Family Well-Ordered (Cotton Mather, 1699)

Parent's Concern for Their Unsaved Children (Edward Lawrence, 1681)

A Simple Way to Pray (Archie Parrish, 1998); this one expands Martin Luther's 35-page letter to his barber on prayer from 1535

Also, I bought an audio presentation of George Whitefield's volcanic sermon, The Method Grace, presented by Max McLean. Ligonier plans on producing a Classic Sermon Series to provide historical examples of Christ-centered, biblical sermons.

Happy Birthday, Kristin!

Ligonier Ministries Conference Day 1

A couple of blogs I read have already commented on today's conference favorably; I agree with them. I'll just add some other observations.

The conference lecture hall has a wonderful organ; it vibrates your bones from 50 rows back. Plus, the Westminster Brass are delightful. But surprisingly, I enjoy singing in a smaller setting (like my church) with folks I know. Still, I'm glad it's part of the conference.

Demographics always interest me. The average attendee's age here is probably somewhere in the 50s, not many folks in the 20s here. I'm pleased that there is some racial diversity, although more would be better.

Hearing MacArthur was a delight. He presented the history of the battle for the Headship of the Church--is the head the Pope, the Crown, or the Christ? He relied on notes a good deal, but his message was still mesmerizing. It was peppered with refreshingly inflammatory quotes from the Reformers about how the Pope is the anti-Christ and the pluck of the Scottish Covenanters. He showed that the headship battle is still fought today by Roman Catholic dogma, modern liberals, and emergent church types.

Sproul spoke on four Church attributes: one, holy, catholic and apostolic. He gave a great Jon Hus/Martin Luther anecdote and an immensely helpful presentation on how New Testament revelation must be apostolic. I'll use that during my next meeting with my Mormon friend.

Tomorrow's a full day that I eagerly await.

Conference Time

Kristin's Epiphany gift to me was a ticket to the Ligonier National Conference in Orlando. The time has come! Thank you sweetheart! May God use the messages from this conference to make me a better churchman, husband, and father.

A Husbandman's Garden

Andree Seu's recent thoughts on becoming an older woman can be summarized, I think, by her remark,

The plan is that as the woman's first beauty wanes, a ripening comes that is the second beauty. It is by this that men may still love their wives, even as the bridal dowry of physical allure is exchanged, over time, for the better dowry of an inner glow. [emphasis mine]

A man loves the bride of his youth over time by remembering that a wife is a husbandman's garden. He is to tend her well, watering her with the Word (Eph 5:26), with the hope of producing a gentle and quiet spirit (1 Pet 3:4).

And for good or bad, a husband will reap what he sows. The years will prove it so.

How We Got Nothing But Money

My grandfather turns 100 this year. If you don't know any centarians, then you'll profit from reading my Grandfather Witty's vivid account of life in the early 1900s.

Back then work and entertainment were remarkably different. Family and community were stronger, often because both parents worked the family farm. The children learned to work by first playing at their grown-up's work. They learned to love the land, their family, and community.

For entertainment the oldtime people used to visit each other in the evenings, it was called "sitting till bedtime." They told stories about each other, their past, and the land. And among the hearers were children, thus keeping the memories alive. Some have said, "they had everything but money."

How times have changed. Now the child is not expected to return home and be of use to the place and community he grew up in. He is educated to leave home and earn money that has nothing to do with his parents or the place he grew up. The aims are now money and ease.

We tell our stories now mostly to doctors or lawyers or insurance adjusters, not to our neighbors for their (and our) entertainment. The stories that our children hear are made up for them in New York or Los Angeles or other centers of commerce.

Generation after generation, as children depart their family's home without hearing the stories and without coming back to their community, the place loses its memory--its history and culture. And this, in part, explains how we now have nothing but money.

(This post was heavily influenced by a recent reading of Wendell Berry's What Are People For?, especially Part III).

Receiving Discipline

We enjoyed a conversation last night with a group of friends from church about Hebrews 12 and the Lord's discipline.

Perhaps, there is a litmus test for our true intentions in this life. If God were to give you a choice to live in ease and keep your sins, or to have them burnt away through trial, would you say 'give me sanctified affliction'? The answer to this question reveals your true love.

But why do I complain of thee?
'Cause thou'rt the Rod that scourgeth mee?
But if a good child I will bee,
I'le kiss the Rod, and honour thee.
--'Eliza', 1652

I like the idea...

Here's a new podcast called Ordinary Means. From their site: "Ordinary Means" exists to call the Church of Christ back to a trust in God's means--the Word, the Sacraments, and prayer--as the primary means God uses to seek, save, and sanctify.

Sounds like something I need to hear.

Theology Is No Parlor Game

This quote from Calvin's Institutes reminds me why we should earnestly strive to know more of God. Hint: it's not to win at Bible-baseball.

The knowledge of God which we are invited to cultivate is not that which, resting satisfied with empty speculation, only flutters in the brain, but a knowledge which will prove substantial and fruitful wherever it is rooted in the heart. (1:5.9)

"The righteous...still bear fruit in old age, they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the Lord is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him." (Ps 92:12-15)

He is to be known so that He may be adored, not just minutely discussed.

Destroying Arguments, Slowly and Gently

We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God (2 Cor 10:4-5)

And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone...correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth (2 Tim 2:24-25)

I had a fourth meeting today with a Mormon co-worker to discuss the historic Christian faith. I'll need help before we meet again.

I've pointed out theological problems, logical fallacies, archeological discrepancies, historical absurdities, and even DNA evidence that all show that Mormonism cannot be true. But his faith continues to rest in the Mormon prophets' claim that they receive direct, authoritative revelation from God even to this day. So at our next meeting I will present the case for why the canon is closed, and he is to present the rationale for the continuation of direct revelation to Mormon prophets. This will be a new research area for me, so any help is appreciated.

Most of all we need the Helper to strip the blind-fold from my friend's eyes. And I need to be patient and remember that the goal is not to win an argument, but a soul.

Claiming God's Covenant Promises on Faith's Behalf

Looking in faith to the Lord Jesus Christ for Faith's salvation, today we unreservedly dedicated Faith to God and promised, in humble reliance upon divine grace, that we will endeavor to set before her a godly example, that we will pray with and for her, that we will teach her the doctrines of our holy religion, and that we will strive, by all the means of God's appointment, to bring her up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

A Desirable Partner

Kristin and I watched the BBC’s production of Pride and Prejudice recently. Think what you will, but I enjoy Austen’s work immensely. And it turns out I like the movie, too. There are a couple of events from the movie that I want to comment on.

First, we are given a manly example of repentance by Mr. Darcy after his marriage proposal to Elizabeth is flatly rejected. His repentance is lasting, costly, selfless, motivated by love, and transformational. Men who struggle with taking initiative and bearing responsibility would do well to study and emulate his example.

But the part of the movie I enjoy the most is the series of vignettes during the wedding sermon near the end. The snapshots of poorly matched marriages powerfully illustrate – with non-examples--the real purposes for matrimony.

We’re at a season in life where most our peer group has married, and many are well into the child-bearing years. Thankfully, only one marriage that we know of has ended in divorce. Yet, I doubt that few of us at the time of our betrothal were mature enough to make such a momentous decision in view of biblical purposes for matrimony.

God’s grace is very evident in the match between Kristin and me. I was certainly not mature enough to comprehend the magnitude of the decision I was making when I proposed to her that night along the Riverwalk in San Antonio. But God has given me a wife that, even to this day, is better than I deserve. “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine,” I give my heartfelt thanks.