There is no "free man"

I was talking to the guys in my class a couple weeks ago now, but am finally getting a chance to write about it. We were discussing quite a few things, but one of the topics that came up was when we are free to do as we choose. I made the point that we're never really "free" in the sense he was meaning. 

Romans 6:16 - 23 states: "Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness,resulting in sanctification. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.  Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Now most of us are familiar with Romans 6:23, but the context (as always) is important. Before salvation we are not technically "free" to choose to do what we want. Scripture tells us we are slaves to sin. In other words the unsaved man, because he has thus far rejected to choose (I won't be going into predestination vs. free will here) to follow the grace of God, will continue in sin. This is his natural state. On the other hand the saved man, because the Holy Spirit indwells him, can obey righteousness. This is his natural state. Then comes verse 23. Slaves to sin earn death, but lest we think we can earn our salvation, Scripture specifically points out that eternal life is the free gift of God. 

However, as we know from Romans 7, perfect obedience is not always how it plays out in life. Thus sanctification; that work which the Holy Spirit does in us to conform us to the image of Christ. By grace we submit ourselves, "[become] slaves of righteousness," and we are continually sanctified. Praise be to God that, "we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:18). Our hope is that, "We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is" (1 John 3:2). Even so, Lord Jesus, come quickly. Maranatha.

Praying like a Child? or like a Toddler?

So I know I haven't posted here in over a month. I kept having things I wanted to write about, but kept running out of time to actually write them until I have honestly forgotten what most of the topics were even about. Sometimes, I think, it's more important to go about the business of living life than to sit back and comment on it.

However, one of the guys in my class last night read to us a piece of the day's devotional that he's going through. It talked about how often we pray to God like a toddler talks to their parents. My little girl turns 3 tomorrow and she is getting immensely better at holding conversations, but for the longest time she would only very briefly pause playing to exchange a few words. The devotion writer was pointing out how often we do that to God. We believers are His children by birth and by adoption, but how long do we stay spiritual toddlers? How long do we pause our lives to actually have a conversation with our Heavenly Father? I don't know about y'all but I am guilty of this all the time. I pray to God in, at most, 5 - 10 minute increments throughout my day. Now I'm not saying there's not a time for that kind of prayer, but to actually get to know anyone you have to spend actual time in conversation with them.

My almost 3 year old is my oldest, so I don't have first hand experience of having older kids, but my niece (10) and nephews (8,6,4 and 2) recently came up to visit the States from Ecuador. It really struck me the difference between a family whose oldest is 2 (mine) and a family whose youngest is 2 (my brother-in-law's). My niece and oldest two nephews could actually hold conversations. I really felt like I got to know them this trip. They have wonderful personalities that they were able to share with me, in part, because they're big enough now to actually talk to and spend time with. This is the difference I want to make in my prayer life. I shouldn't still talk to God like my little girl talks to me. I'm "spiritually older" than that. I ought to be able to sit down and get to know Him.

I made the distinction in the title because, even with the differences between a child and a toddler, a child still needs to rely on their parents for guidance, direction and care. A toddler of course needs these things too, but a child can let their parents know their gratitude. We ought to be growing as children of God. I need to stop acting like a toddler and let my God and Father know how much I really do appreciate Him.

Thank You God for the tremendous amount of blessing You've lavished on me, Your son. Thank You that You love me. Thank You.

A Noble Calling

Last night at Bible study we were reading through Romans 10. Throughout the previous chapter and this one, Paul drives home the point that there is no advantage to the Jew in regards to salvation. Quoting several Old Testament prophets he writes, "Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed (Isaiah 28:16)," and "Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved (Joel 2:32)." That is the hope for the Gentiles. We can be part of the "whoever." Salvation can come to us as well.

After this Paul writes, "14 How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? 15 How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!'" Dr. Kerr pointed out that Paul slightly changes the quotation from Isaiah 52:7 which reads, "How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, (underline added)." Isaiah looks at Christ, He who brings good news and is, in fact, THE good news. Paul tells us that bringing that good news has passed to us. "How will they preach unless they are sent?" Jesus told His disciples to go into all the world. He said, "as the Father has sent Me, I also send you," (John 20:21). We have been sent. We can preach, so they can hear so they can believe in Him.

In my class we talked about how men need a noble calling to raise them up and set them higher. This calling is to all believers. I can't think of a better goal than to spread the gospel wherever we are placed. We teach our kids to sing "This little light of mine/ I'm gonna let it shine," but for it to sink in they need to see us shining out too. The wellspring of life is in us. It must overflow. "He must increase. I must decrease." 

This is so much easier to write than to live, and I am humbled by the knowledge that I don't live up to this calling. But in part that is the purpose of the calling, to draw us up and let the Spirit transform us to be more like Christ. God is good all the time and in His power we can spread His word. We just need to say, as Isaiah said, "Here am I. Send me!"

God: Waiter or Trainer

So last night's class was about how to bring God to work. Some scary statistics were mentioned such as that only 12% of professing Christians act any different ethically in the workplace than their unbelieving co-workers. We were also reminded that if we are Christians, then we are called to be so wherever God has placed us. We are all to be missionaries in our workplaces. We are all to be "salt and light" to those around us. We were encouraged that the only way to do so was to live a spiritually credible life. One of the guys in my class referred to it as the "sermon that you act, rather than the sermon that you speak." It is important to make sure that the words you speak match up with what people see you living out. In this way you will have standing to be able to present the Gospel. Not that you need to be perfect, for we never will be this side of glory, but that you are actually striving for Christ. Lord keep me moving/ to higher ground/ when I am tempted/ to settle down. Your whisper sweeter/ than honeycomb/ gently reminds me/ I'm almost home.

Anyway, on to the title. It was only mentioned in passing but had been reinforced through several other mediums to me. Such as this or this Adam Ford comic. Often we want God to be like a waiter. There when we need Him for something. Comes around to ask how things are occasionally. Cleans up the messes when we're done. But otherwise we're content that He stays out of our lives and out of our way. The scene from Aladdin comes to mind: "Life is your restaurant/ and I'm your maître d'!"

Think about this. We want to confine God, the Creator of every thing we can see down to those we can't, to a corner of our lives.

The other comparison that was made: God as our personal trainers. I don't go to the gym, so I can only talk about how personal trainers work from how I've heard others describe them. They're there in your face, pushing you to be better. You invite them in and expect them to encourage you to higher heights than you could reach by yourself. Now all analogies fall apart, but I think this should be closer to how we view God. Not only can He lift us up, and Ephesians tells us He has seated us with Christ in the heavenly places, but He deserves worship and honor and glory and praise.

What's in a name?

So this is very late, but last week's class brought up some very good points. The title of the session was "Making a Name for yourself at work." The post title was the question that Mr. Lewis opened with.

What's in a name? Scripture tells us "A good name is to be more desired than great wealth,
Favor is better than silver and gold." (Proverbs 22:1). The example used in the class was Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird. He had integrity. He could be trusted to follow through, even if it was to his pain. He had a good name. A few other examples came to mind while I pondered this question. I read Little Britches a while back which is the story of Ralph Moody's childhood on a ranch in Colorado. One of the scenes from to book involved Ralph's father catching him in a lie. Ralph knew it was wrong, but had done it for expediency's sake. Ralph's father gave him the metaphor of a man's character being like his house. Every time he lies to get ahead, he's pulling boards down from the walls to keep the fire going. It might keep him warm for a while, but eventually he has no more house. 

Character. It's not something that's really talked much about anymore. At least I don't hear about its importance in my day to day life. But if you watch shows like Andy Griffith or read older books like the Little Britches series it often comes up. Usually it's the dad or an older man explaining its importance to one younger than himself. I can remember my grandfather talking about how you used to be able to go in and buy a car on a handshake. A man's word meant something. Matthew 5:37 states, "But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of evil." 

Given the importance of integrity, character and a good name Mr. Lewis went in to five ways to establish a name for yourself in the workplace. The first practice was to not only work, but work to be "really good" at something. If you can focus on something, and get good at it, you'll be in demand for your skills. Another way to establish your name is to be responsive to those above you and earn their trust. When your boss tells you he wants something done, he should know that he can trust you to do it to the best of your ability. "Like a snow-cooled drink at harvest time is a trustworthy messenger to the one who sends him; he refreshes the spirit of his master." (Proverbs 25:13). A third way is to over deliver. Go above and beyond. See if you can't get that project done a day early. Strive for excellence. You can either work until it's "good enough" and still be a good worker, or, if you over deliver, your bosses will notice you even more. A fourth way to make your name at work is to be one who encourages others and a team builder. Management likes to know that their employees can work well together. The final practice Mr. Lewis gave was to always keep your word. 

He also gave two commitments to make to yourself to help establish your name. The first was to never lie or cheat. We were encouraged to always say "no" to any kind of deception. We can trust God to take care of us, even if it means a temporal financial problem. The other commitment was to avoid immorality at all costs. A man can build his character for years, but all it takes is one bad rumor to ruin it. If a man can be wise and avoid situations where rumors could spring up, his integrity can remain intact. The encouragement for these commitments was to decide now and not later. If you've already made the decision, then when a situation comes up you don't even need to think about it.  You can stand on the decision you've already made.

It was so encouraging to me to hear these guys commit now to these practices. Nowhere does Scripture guarantee that we will be wealthy, but following God's way of doing business will certainly be better for us in eternity than any temporal wealth we might get from following the example of the world. Lor 

The enemy within

There once was a man that lived in a desert home. He went about his daily routine, scratching what meager existence he could from the dirt around him. As he went, he stepped over a rattle snake and just kept going. Now you might think this odd, but he had become so accustomed to it being there that he barely saw it any more. He lived as if it didn't exist. He went into his kitchen and reached into his cupboard, right past a black widow's web. Again, without noticing, he had come inches from pain. But he didn't even see the danger. It had become too familiar.

Now you might think this an odd story, and it is. No person in their right mind would live with a rattle snake or a black widow. But how many of us live with things just as deadly in our lives? Sins that have become so familiar we forget how dangerous they can be? I recently read Thoughts for Young Men by J. C. Ryle, and although it was aimed at unmarried young men, I was still able to gain a lot from it. It's only 99 cents on Kindle, and the Kindle app is free on most devices. Or I was able to find it in its entirety for free in both Spanish (HTML) and in English in PDF format. If you're a young man, I'd encourage you to spend the few hours it takes to read and think about it. Even though it was written in the late 1800s, it was amazing to me how applicable it all still was. Young men haven't changed that much, I suppose.

The point of the story was to illustrate a point Mr. Ryle made in his pamphlet, that often we as young men, and I think it applies to people in general, allow sin to live with us. We don't see our pride or our thoughtlessness and so are trapped by it. I know personally I have a tendency to be sure I'm right unless given overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Even then, I'm stubborn to a fault and will sometimes just shake off whatever I don't like.

Mr. Ryle, as any good preacher should, points us to Jesus. In regards to pride, he points out that Jesus washed the disciples feet. This was a job reserved for servants. When you walk everywhere, in sandals, on dusty roads your feet will get disgusting. Yet Christ washed and then told His disciples they should "do as [He had done for them]" (John 13:15). "'Though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor' (2 Corinthians 8:9) ... Surely to be proud is to be more like the devil and fallen Adam, than like Christ."

I write about pride primarily because it is something I struggle with. I want to be right. I want to be well thought of, and accepted. I want to be in charge. But Christ showed me that to truly lead, I must be a servant. To be "right" I must humble myself and submit to Him. He warned that if I did follow Him, I would be persecuted. The world hated Him, and if I'm following Him rightly, it should hate me as well. To be "first" I must be last. Or, as we've been discussing in class, we need to "die a little, to live a lot." Or again as Adam Ford greatly put Jesus isn't the means to something wonderful, He is something wonderful.

I try to find myself as Paul, who, at the beginning of his ministry counted himself "the least of the apostles" (1 Corinthians 15:9) and yet near the end of his life knew himself to be "foremost of sinners" (1 Timothy 1:15). The closer we come to Christ, the more sinful we look because we know more of the glory. Thanks be to God for His grace and salvation.

To Work

The first ten weeks of my class out at the prison were spent on different ways to win at home. Last week we started talking about work. Mr. Lewis made a great introduction by starting with the different drives and motivations for work.

The "lowest" form of motivation is working simply because we have to. Scripturally, 2 Thessalonians 3:10 states, "For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either." Working is necessary in order to live. 

The next motivation was supporting your family. 1 Timothy 5:8 "But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." We should work in order to care for our own.

These two levels of motivation are not wrong, just not the highest motivation we can get. They are "paycheck driven." The next drive for work is "passion."

Next up the ladder was working to be able to afford a desired standard of living. Ecclesiastes 5:19 "Furthermore, as for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, He has also empowered him to eat from them and to receive his reward and rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of God." Working can bring us reward.

Ecclesiastes 2:24 "There is nothing better for a man than to eat and drink and tell himself that his labor is good. This also I have seen that it is from the hand of God." Accomplishing something meaningful to you is another reason to work. 

Having a passion for what you do will motivate you to continue doing it. Philanthropy is another drive to work.

Continuing up the ladder, the next motivation is serving others with your work. 1 Peter 4:10 "As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as goodstewards of the manifold grace of God." We have a responsibility to use the gifts God has given us to serve others.

The desire to help others with our funds is another motivation to work. Ephesians 4:28 "He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need." 

Giving to those less fortunate than ourselves is a good motivation to work. The final drive we discussed in class, though is higher still. That of "purpose."

Advancing the kingdom of God on earth through our funds is another reason to work. Proverbs 3:9 "Honor the Lord from your wealth; And from the first of all your produce;" He should be first in our giving.

Finally, glorifying God and spiritually impacting people is the highest form of motivation that we discussed. Colossians 3:23-24 "Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve."

Working for the Lord and rather than men should be the main reason to work. We discussed in class that the more of these motivations you have for your work, the more satisfied you will be with it. These final two motivations were discussed again in last night's session in contrast to how the world views work.

The goal for most workers is to get to retirement. By having this view, though, we miss out on all that the Lord would have for us in the here and now. The perspective that we have on work will greatly affect our attitude and actions every day at work. As Christians especially we ought to look at our job more as vocation. Vocation comes from the Latin vocare which literally means "to call." We are called by God, (Who, by the way, is seen working starting in Genesis 1:1 and continuing throughout the Scripture) to work with Him and for Him. So I hope that I can realize Who my work is for and labor accordingly. I pray that we could all worship Him through our work, whether we be CEOs or janitors. We must remember that all work for God has eternal repercussions and remember that "Whatever [we] do" needs to be "for the Lord rather than for men."

Strategic Parenting

I enjoy RTS (real time strategy) games like Age of Empires and the Total War series. I also enjoy turn based tactics games. I am a strategic person and I like to have a plan for how things are going to go. But for some reason, at least until the last few weeks, I hadn't ever thought about applying this to my parenting before.

Two weeks ago in class we talked about "strategic fatherhood" and had laid out for us a "game plan" for raising kids. The plan consisted of things that our children need to see, hear and receive from us as fathers. It also discussed the years in our children's lives that certain things became even more important. As an example, one of the things that our children need to see in us from the day they're born is that we love their mother. We need to see the love between our parents, and our kids need to see the love between their parents, in part, to know that love is real. Without that example, they won't (can't) know how men and women are supposed to behave towards each other in a husband/wife relationship. So, as Mr. Lewis stated in the last week's session, one of the greatest gifts we dads can give to our children is to love their mother.

Now I know that plans can change, and I am slowly, by the grace of God, getting to be a more flexible person. This is why the game plan wasn't anything like a minute by minute or even hour by hour plan for each day. It was rather a year by year plan that had general guidelines for what things would become important as the children grew up.

One of the things that stuck out to me both from the Quest for Authentic Manhood and Winning at Work and at Home was the phases a strategic parent will go through in their parenting style. As small children up to age 10-12 our children need coaches telling them what to do and how to do it. In the teenage years (not having a teenager I don't know the parent side, but I know from having been a teenager the truth of this) they need more of a cheerleader to encourage them on to do what's right. In late teens to early 20s the parent should act more as a consultant, offering advice only when invited in by the now young adult. Then, by 30 or so, the parent can move to more of a colleague position and be a fellow traveler along the road we call life.

I appreciated this explanation of parenting styles (coach, cheerleader, consultant and colleague) and how they need to change by age of your child a lot having experienced all of it from the child side, and just starting to get into it from the parent side.

So a large portion of being a strategic parent is taking the time to plan, and being willing to follow the Lord's will. Ephesians 5:15-17 "Watch carefully then how you live, not as foolish persons but as wise, making the most of the opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not continue in ignorance, but try to understand what is the will of the Lord." is a great verse to remember as a parent especially. A reminder from a quote I ran across today:

"Tomorrow is the devil's day, but today is God's. Satan does not care how spiritual your intentions are, or how holy your resolutions, if only they are determined to be done tomorrow."
- Thoughts for Young Men by J. C. Ryle

If you were wavering on whether you can start today, pray to Him who gives abundantly and do so. He is faithful and good.

I write all this knowing that I have failed as a parent before, but trusting in the grace of my God for the strength to do it better the next time. I don't have this figured out and am still learning as I go. But I do know the Word of Truth and will continue to look to Him, by grace, for how I should act in the life He has given me.

Sir Gibbie and Trust

So my sister-in-law Alesha really has me pegged as far as literature goes. Every book she's recommended I read, I have completely and thoroughly enjoyed. She credits this to something she picked up from her daddy, who can read people and recommend a movie that he knows they'll enjoy even if it's not his favorite. I would credit it to her ability to read people as well as the care she has for them.

Anyways, the latest book she had me read was Sir Gibbie by George MacDonald. (It can be found here for free online reading or here for a more modern translation of some of the Scotch phrases George MacDonald uses). The book follows the adventures of the son of a landless baronet in the streets and country around some unnamed town in Scotland. Without giving too much away, since I think y'all should read the book, wee Sir Gibbie is a sweet boy who is taught about Jesus by a simple woman Janet whose only theological training has come from reading her New Testament. He learns to read, and as he reads is convicted of who his Master is, and that he should be following His instructions.

The book really struck home with me, and convicted me of my pride. Having gone to Emmaus Bible College I have gained a decent knowledge of many facets of theology. I know several of the errors that have plagued the Church throughout history and proof texts that show the truth. I know the theological names for several truths shown in Scripture. However, from my more recent reading and discussions with friends that haven't gone to Bible colleges, I've found that sometimes faith is stronger when it is simpler. I'm not saying that knowledge of the Word is not a good thing to seek. I'm also not saying that strong theology is not necessary in this world where errors are rife and the enemy is constantly prowling. What I am saying is that those who only study their Bible and don't necessarily know all the fancy theological phrasings are not at a disadvantage when it comes to defending themselves from error. Sir Gibbie often thinks to himself in the book that he knows what is being told to him is false, and goes to study his Word to reassure himself. This is the habit I think we should all be in.

One of my favorite characters in the book was Janet. She was a shepherd's wife who lived on the side of a mountain with her husband, their dog Oscar and their milk cow. Her husband tended their lord's sheep in the pastures of the mountainside while she kept their home. They had a small cottage and so it didn't take much upkeep, and given that her children were all grown and she was too old to be able to travel well she had a lot of time to herself. She spent it in the best way possible, that is communing with her Lord and Savior Jesus in prayer and reading of the Bible. As I mentioned before, this is woman from whom Gibbie learned his faith. She, to me, is the embodiment of the simple faith that I should and can have if I were to trust Jesus as she did. The encouragement to trust Him, I think, is the best encouragement one believer can give to another.

One of my favorite lines from the book was: 

"It is the heart that is not yet sure of its God, that is afraid to laugh in his presence."
It was and is a good reminder to me that God truly is our Daddy and is infinitely better at the job than any earthly father could hope to be. We can laugh and be joyous with Him and we can cry on His shoulder. Again we can trust Him. He is infinitely good with infinite love for us. How awesome is that? So I pray for y'all and myself that we can learn to trust Him more. 

Contagious Values

I heard a phrase the other day that I've been turning over in my mind.

"Values are more often caught than taught."

The more I think on it, the more the truth of it comes out to me. The context was in the raising of children. Children are more likely to adopt the values they see their parents living out, more so than simply the ones their parents tell them are good. And isn't that burden heavy. If we are following the Lord, then our children are more likely to do so as well. However, if we are living selfishly or proudly, our children will pick that up as well. I am so glad to have the power of the Holy Spirit to help me walk after Christ. I like country music and there's a Rodney Atkins song called "Watching You" that greatly illustrates this point.

Driving through town, just my boy and me
With a happy meal in his booster seat
Knowing that he couldn't have the toy 'til his nuggets were gone

A green traffic light turned straight to red
I hit my breaks and mumbled under my breath
His fries went a flyin' and his orange drink covered his lap

Then my four year old said a four letter word
It started with "S" and I was concerned
So I said, "Son, now where'd you learn to talk like that"

(chorus one)
He said, "I've been watching you dad, ain't that cool
I'm your buckaroo, I wanna be like you
And eat all my food, and grow as tall as you are
We got cowboy boots and camo pants
Yeah we're just alike, hey ain't we dad
I wanna do everything you do
So I've been watching you"

We got back home and I went to the barn
I bowed my head and I prayed real hard
Said, "Lord please help me help my stupid self"
This side of bedtime later that night
Turning on my son's Scooby Doo night light
He crawled out of bed and he got down on his knees
He closed his little eyes, folded his little hands
And spoke to God like he was talkin' to a friend
And I said, "Son, now where'd you learn to pray like that"

(chorus two)
He said I've been watching you dad, ain't that cool
I'm your buckaroo, I wanna be like you
And eat all my food and grow as tall as you are
We like fixin' things and holdin' mama's hand
Yeah we're just alike hey ain't we dad
I wanna do everything you do
So I've been watching you

(bridge)
With tears in my eyes I wrapped him in a hug
Said my little bear is growing up
He said, "But when I'm big, I'll still know what to do

(chorus three)
Cause I've been watching you dad, ain't that cool
I'm your buckaroo, I wanna be like you
And eat all my food and grow as tall as you are
By then I'll be strong as Superman
We'll be just alike, he won't we dad
When I can do everything you do
Cause I've been watching you



Our values, the ones we really live out, are contagious. Are yours worth catching? Are mine?

In My Father's Arms

I don't know how big a deal the 4th of July is for other small towns, but here in Snyder it's pretty much an all day event. We went to the parade at 10 in the morning and stood by the side of the road for an hour while the whole thing passed us by. Beth was the only kid standing in our section and so she got all of the candy thrown her way. By the end of the parade she had a Wal-Mart sack full of candy. (We have been doling this out just a very few pieces a day especially since Michelle had made cookies for the 4th as well). After the parade was over, we walked back to Michelle's grandmother's (Mamaw's) house and sat in her air-conditioning for a while to cool off before heading home. Once we got home we set off some day-time fireworks (making sure to have a hose handy as we haven't had rain for a while) and then put the kids down for nap.

That evening we headed back into town for dinner at Mamaw's. We spent the evening their using sparklers and generally enjoying each other's company. Towards sunset Michelle, Beth, Thad, Michelle's folks and I walked to the park for the fireworks show. We had a little bit of daylight left to set up our chairs and then we settled in to wait for the show to start. Then it happened. My little carefree, daredevil of a daughter heard the first boom of the fireworks and lost her head. She started shaking like a leaf and just got worse with each successive boom. She hid her face in my chest. She was finally able to calm down a bit when I wrapped her tight in my arms. I was able to get her to turn around and watch one of the fans of color that wasn't so loud, but then another big one went off and she snuggled back in and quivered. The next fan that went off I couldn't even get her to turn around to see. She kept telling me, "There will be more boom!" So I held her tight, soothed her, covered her ears and didn't try to get her to turn around anymore. When we got back to Mamaw's house, she was asked if she liked the fireworks and she said yes, but then admitted that the "booms" scared her. We decided next year to bring ear protection for her too, as her little brother had gun range ear muffs on and enjoyed the whole show.

The whole episode made me think of our position as Christians. We are safe in our Father's arms. There's sometimes scary noises going on all around us, and things we don't understand that cause us to worry and tremble. But we can put our faces into His chest and be comforted. We can trust Him to take care of us. We can know that He knows what He's doing. Even if we're scared to look because there will be "more boom" He will hold us and love us. I am so grateful for the fact that we have a Heavenly Father who is the perfect father and is so amazingly better than even the best of earthly fathers. He is Good.

Simple Joys

Often in this world we hear about everything that's going wrong. All one has to do is read/watch the news and you'll find something more out there that's worth complaining about. Living life is hard. There are bills to pay, things constantly demanding time and attention that I'd rather spend elsewhere and places I'd rather not go, but need to for various reasons. To be completely honest, life can suck sometimes.

But it's at these times that I remember the simple joys. The little things that make life worth living. Hearing my daughter play make believe in her room. Listening in to that little bit of innocence as she tells her stuffed bear to be nice to her stuffed sheep. Or holding my son and making him giggle up a storm just from the funny face his daddy is making. Or cuddling with both of them on the couch so that their mama can make dinner without hearing fussing. I love it and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

We're told to focus on the negative. Even if not directly, we're so bombarded by it that it can't help but become a central theme of the day. Plus, we're encouraged to compete in this : "I'm more miserable than you!" "No I've got bigger problems!" But does this get us anywhere? Do we really need to focus so much on the bad? Or can we accept the bad with the good and learn to have joy anyways?

There are so many things to be thankful for every day and yet we lose sight of them. Even when you're at rock bottom, the Creator of the universe still loves you. He still sent His Son to die on a cross so that you might have forgiveness of your sins. You can still have the knowledge that this world is not where we, as Christians, have our citizenship. No matter how bad it gets, you can have hope.

And I will pray for you, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, that He will raise up your eyes to the heavens. That He will enlighten your minds with the knowledge of Himself. Because He is wonderful. Because He is the only thing worth living for. Because He is the I AM. Please pray this for me as well, so that I remember Who is in charge and that I need not worry but rest in Him.

Staying Close

Last night's class for Winning at Work and at Home out at the prison went quite well. I reflect again how tough it is to be teaching this class in a prison setting though. The topic for last night was "staying close to the woman you love." Most of the guys were upbeat about how they were going to implement what they've been learning when they get out. (One of the guys will be out in a couple months, and another will be out soon after the class is over, so for them it will be sooner. I don't know how long the other guys are in for, so I pray that the Lord will keep this stuff with them for when they do get out.)

The first thing we talked about being an "enemy" of closeness was everyday conflict. Mr. Lewis said sometimes these conflicts can escalate to "culture wars" wherein you are trying to "win" and get your wife to leave her "country" and come join yours. Conflict stems from the differences that you and your spouse have, in your raising, in your outlook on life and in your worldviews. Since it is inevitable that conflict will arise, what we need to do is use it for our betterment. So, Mr. Lewis showed a diagram of how conflicts usually go. Conflicts occurs --> Hurt Feelings --> Anger. At this point there are two options: 1) Flee from the conflict, withdrawing and giving the "silent treatment." This is the natural "flesh" choice but will lead to isolation from your spouse which is the exact opposite of closeness. 2) Face the conflict. If you choose to face it, you're again presented with two options. 1) To fight and accuse, denigrating your spouse in an effort to "win" the argument. Again this is what the natural man would choose but leads to escalation of the conflict rather than working towards a resolution. 2) The second option is to actually dialogue about the conflict. If good dialogue takes place it should lead to understanding, forgiveness and compromise. If an understanding can be reached, then the conflict is resolved and the couple can grow closer together because of it, rather than be driven apart by it. Scripture also encourages us to resolve conflict quickly. Ephesians 4:26 tells us to not let the sun go down on our anger. Not resolving the conflict can lead to bitterness and resentment (discussed below), and so understanding is the goal.

The second enemy of closeness that we discussed is creeping separateness. Separateness can come into a relationship simply by having and pursuing separate interests and not doing things together. He gave the example of the husband being busy with his job, and the wife being busy with her job and the kids - which become "her" kids, and life being so busy that the only time the husband and wife spend any time together is at the kids' events. Then the kids leave. Now you have a man and woman with nothing in common except the rings on their fingers and they have to work out again how to be close. Mr. Lewis suggested a strategy to remain close instead. The first part of the strategy is to find time every week to have meaningful conversation with your spouse. This will prevent surprises during the week, because you've already talked about what's happening. Part two is basically to live life together. Find things you both enjoy doing, and do them together. Go for a walk, work in the yard, watch TV, but do it together. Simply spending time together whenever you get the chance can help in remaining close as a couple. The third part is to do something yearly (or as I told my students, as close to yearly as possible) that will create lifetime memories. Do something a little bit over the top to create those memories and, Mr. Lewis said, it will continually breathe energy back into the relationship.

The third enemy discussed was creeping resentment. He pointed out that the Bible warns men to "...love your wives and do not be embittered (resentful) against them." (Colossians 3:19 NASB parenthesis added by me). Resentment can come from unresolved conflict or the differences that haven't come to conflict yet. Resentment is a cancer that eats away at closeness. To combat resentment, he suggested gauging your "temperature" and making sure that you weren't allowing anything to grow. Another suggestion was to write out the problem in an "I" statement and then sharing it with your spouse in a place where it can be discussed safely. This will allow for the dialogue discussed above and hopefully lead to understanding. He did point out that if resolution can't be reached by the couple, that mutually agreed upon outside help might be necessary.

Now that I've got all this in my head, I pray that it will come out in my actions. I'm know I will fail often and I'm so glad that my wife is patient with me. I hope that some of you reading this will have learned something new, or been reminded of something you already knew, but that you would practice it and stay close with your spouse.

Fairy Tales and Hope

Several things recently have got me thinking about fairy tales. We recently (I know we're way late) watched Frozen. Several of my friends have posted other Disney related items on Facebook. They were even mentioned on the DVD of the teaching session for my class tonight. So I've been thinking about fairy tales.

I have a 2 and a half year old little girl, so it's really not that odd that this is coming up. She's not quite old enough to understand most of the princess/knight/fairy stuff just yet, but she has been proving to me again and again that she does understand the difference between "bad guys" and "good guys." While playing with my Lord of the Rings LEGOs that I keep in my office (thanks to my beautiful wife), she was making the Gandalf mini-fig hit the Eomer mini-fig. Now she doesn't know who these characters are, so I tried to explain to her that they were both good guys and shouldn't be hitting each other. Her response? "Not all the guys are good, daddy." She still doesn't really like conflict in TV shows or movies, but she's growing into realizing that it sometimes must happen. (We still mainly watch the Andy Griffith Show, Curious George and Leap Frog learning TV while she's awake.) You might be wondering why I've brought this up, and the reason is that fairy tales also teach kids about conflict. One of my favorite quotes of all time is from G.K. Chesterton: "Fairy tales do not teach children that dragons exist. They already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales teach children that dragons can be killed."

My daughter keeps teaching me that she is more observant than I give her credit for. Children notice that there are bad, evil and scary things in the world. Even before they have words for such things, they know that evil exists. What a good fairy tale story can do is show that even though there is evil, there is good that can overcome. That is a truth necessary to our existence. Without knowing that good can overcome evil, nihilism makes perfect sense. Without knowing that good can overcome evil, sinking into depression can happen all too quickly. We need hope. We need there to be good.

I am so grateful we have the true tale of the darkness being overcome. As Christians we know that Christ conquered the grave, and that we can have hope through Him. Romans 8 provides us with such a clear articulation of the hope we have. "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? ... But in all things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us." (31,37 NASB). The hymn writers knew it too : "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness/ I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name." We have hope and conquer because of Jesus. Praise His name.

Faith like a Child

About a month ago my family went to a concert for a group called the Annie Moses Band (Check them out!) at a church here in town. It was a fun time, and Beth even danced in the aisles for a few of the songs. After the concert was over, they told us that rather than just buying a CD from them, they would be giving away their CDs to anyone who would sponsor a child through Holt International. Michelle and I discussed it and we decided to go look at their table. As I was holding Beth, she spied a picture of a little girl who was only a month younger than her and said, "That one's mine." So we signed up to sponsor little Rebecca from the Philippines. Her packet told us that she had been born to a 14 year old mother who couldn't take care of her and had been given up for adoption.
Fast forward to yesterday when we got a more detailed packet with some more pictures of Rebecca from Holt. One picture was big enough that we decided to hang it up in Beth's room. So I took Beth in and told her how this little girl's mama couldn't take care of her and so we were going to help her. Beth looked at the picture then turned to me and said, "I want help. I share my toys." I don't know where my daughter learned this, but I'm so glad she has. She has such a sweet heart and cares deeply for people. She reminds me what I'm supposed to be doing.
The reason I titled this post "Faith like a Child" is because I truly believe that what Beth showed me last night is part of what Christ was talking about. Matthew 18:1- 4 "At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." Now obviously He was also talking about the simple trust that children have of their parents, and the way a child rarely has boastful pride, but I think the care of children is a part of it too. My daughter has a strong sense of what's "right" in her world. She will tell you all about the toys that are hers, and sometimes will even get a little bossy when telling you not to play with them because she wants to do so. But hearing her be willing to share with this little girl, worlds away, whom she has never even met, just melted my heart. We're supposed to be teaching our children, but last night Beth reminded me that "God so loved the world," and that we should too. The episode also reminded Michelle and I of another little kid with a big heart, Beth's cousin Levi. When he wasn't much older than Beth is now, he wanted to give his piggy bank to Gospel for Asia to send them Bibles because they didn't have any. The heart these two have for people just floors me again and again. Lord give me that heart.

Real People have Real Destinies

So I feel like all I've been doing is book reviews, but this post will change it up. Well ... a bit anyways. It's still going to be about a book. A line from a book. Partly it won't be a book review because I haven't finished the book yet, but this line really struck me as deep and profound and made me stop to think about my doctrine. I hope it does the same for you.

The name of the book is Erasing Hell: What God Said about Eternity, and the Things We've Made Up by Francis Chan. In the book Mr. Chan investigates what the Bible truly says about the doctrine of Hell. The line that struck me though was this:

"These words have real implications for real people with real destinies." (pg. 81)

Now Mr. Chan was speaking about the doctrine of hell, but it hit me because it has much wider application. How many of the doctrines that we hold to don't really account for people? Maybe I'm alone in this failing, but I have a tendency to hold "ivory tower" kind of doctrine. I'm not saying that what I've learned or been taught is necessarily untrue, just that I haven't thought through what the implications of the doctrine would be in the "real world." Take this doctrine of hell for example. I believe, quite strongly, that the Bible is clear that those who do not accept Christ as their Saviour will spend an eternity being punished for it. I believe that un-redeemed sinners who have sinned against an Eternal God will, deservedly, spend eternity suffering the consequences of their actions. However, what I hadn't thought through before was how many of those I see every day are on that road. How it makes my heart ache now, knowing, realizing, and understanding that the person I see in the grocery store, or walking down the road, or playing with their kid in the park will maybe be suffering that punishment. How urgent then does spreading the Gospel become? How do I find myself sitting comfortably in my salvation when there are those who die in their sin? 

It also amazes me how the doctrines are truly interconnected. I was sitting here trying to think of another doctrine that I could use for an example. So, as a graduate of Mr. Glock's Survey of Doctrine, I went down the big 10. Theology proper, Bibliology, Christology, Pneumatology, Angelology, Anthropology, Hamartiology, Soteriology, Ecclesiology and Eschatology. As I looked through these, I realized how much they all flow together. Your view of who God the Father is will affect how you view the Bible, His Son, the Holy Spirit, angels, man, sin, salvation, church and the end times. What you believe of the Bible will greatly impact the rest of your beliefs as well. Bibliology, I think, is at the center. If we can't believe what the Bible says, then how are we to know about God? But, if the Bible is true, then we must realize that "[t]hese words have real implications for real people with real destinies." I believe C. S. Lewis also realized this. In his book, The Weight of Glory, he writes : "But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit - immortal horrors or everlasting splendors." People are what really matter. Everything else you interact with on a day to day basis will be gone in the blink of an eye. 

Lord help this knowledge impress upon me the importance of everyone I come into contact with throughout my days. Help me to see people as You see them. Help me to mirror Your desire for all men to be saved. Lord give me Your heart.

"Gentle Savage Still Seeking the End of the Spear"

This story starts before that fateful episode on the beach of the Curaray River in Ecuador.

Having grown up under the occasional teaching of Dr. Jay McCully, I had heard the story of the five missionaries killed in Ecuador from a very young age. Then, Steve Saint and Menkaye came to visit the States and made a chapel appearance at Seattle Christian Schools and I learned more about the continuing work among the Waorani people. At college I became good friends with Stephen Elliot and Samuel Fleming, both grand-nephews of the missionaries. I won't try and claim that I'm intimately familiar with all the details of the story, but I do know it quite well and know several people that were personally affected by what happened that day.

Fast forward to today and we find my sister-in-law, her husband and their kids living just on the edge of the Ecuadorian jungle. (You can read about their adventures here or their blog is also listed under "Friends and Family" on the sidebar there).  They have gotten to know Gilberto-Menkaye (the grandson of Menkaye) and this was something really cool for me on my birthday a few weeks back, because Alesha and Taylor bought me a book. Gentle Savage Still Seeking the End of the Spear. I was able to finish this book yesterday and can honestly say that it has impacted me greatly. It was so interesting to hear the story told from "the other side." The book is narrated by Menkaye and his friends Kemo and Dyowe, and they tell their story compellingly. (As a side note, I do think it's kind of sad how much most cultures have lost the art of story telling as a whole). These men relate what life was like growing up in the jungle. They tell of their encounters with the Kowodes (outsiders) that came in to their territory. They tell of the friction within the tribe. All in vivid detail. And this detail was still achieved even though the narrators spoke Wao to Gilberto who then spoke Spanish to the author. The translator notes that Gilberto was chosen because of his fluency in both Wao and Spanish and could better express nuances that might otherwise be missed. I would say that he did exceedingly well.

I praise God that this book has come out and that the story of the Waorani is being told. He has done a mighty work among the people of the jungle. My recommendation: buy this book. If you know the story at all, buy this book. If you like compelling story telling, buy this book. If you're interested in what God is doing in other places in the world, buy this book. I know I repeat myself, but it is that good.

Thank y'all again for taking the time to read this. God bless.

"Be strong, therefore, and show yourself a man"

Now this post was going to be about the end of my class that I've been helping with, and I suppose it still is, in a way. But what really caught my attention was Robert Lewis quoting 1 Kings 2:2 as his final charge to the group.

For context:

"1 As David’s time to die drew near, he charged Solomon his son, saying, 2 “I am going the way of all the earth. Be strong, therefore, and show yourself a man. 3 Keep the charge of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His ordinances, and His testimonies, according to what is written in the Law of Moses, that you may succeed in all that you do and wherever you turn," (1 Kings 2:1-3).

These verses were such a good summary for the class. We had been through 24 sessions of this Quest for Authentic Manhood. We had struggled with the truths of Scripture as to what it means to be men. We had laughed at funny stories and cried at sad ones together. We had learned more what it meant to "be a man." It might be cliche, but this class really has changed my life. Most of the students in that class have a deeper desire to be the man God wants them to be. Hearts were touched and changed by the Spirit. I'm so grateful that I was a part of that. As one student told me this evening, "Y'all were tools used by God to perform this work in us." I feel so blessed.

I say these verses were a good summary to the class for a few reasons. First, this was a charge from David to his son. We learned in the class that God has placed us here as fathers to, among many other things, raise up our sons to be men. With all the faults in David's life, he at least ended well with Solomon. Secondly, the charge given, the title of this post, "Be strong therefore, and show yourself a man," speaks to me of the lack of this in our society. As a western world, we have failed in raising "men." There are many that are men physically speaking, but very few noble knights, very few righteous kings, very few real men. "Show yourself a man." Live it out. Lastly, the reason I included verse 3 above is because it tells, in summary, how one can accomplish this feat. "Keep the charge of the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His ordinances, and His testimonies ... " We can be real men by following hard after the Lord and keeping His commands. Mr. Lewis iterates time and again that for a boy to be called to manhood he needs a Code of Conduct, a Transcendent Cause and a Vision of Manhood. His commands can be our Code, His work our cause, and the example Jesus left our vision.

God help me to be the man You need to do Your work. By His grace, I am what I am and hope to continue to be conformed to the image of His Son.

Thank y'all for your time, and I'll try to keep updating this regularly. I am hoping to start the second session of Men's Fraternity out at the prison here in the next couple weeks, so stay tuned for my thoughts on "Winning at Work and at Home."