Posts from April 2009
By Andy Farmer
This past Saturday, April 25, was the anniversary of the death of William Cowper. Cowper (pronounced Cooper) is one of the great poets of the English language, and one of the great hymn writers of the Christian church. He died April 25, 1800.
If you or someone you know battles severe discouragement or experiences depression you should know about Cowper. His is not a happy story, nor does it have an inspirational ending. But it is a story of faith, a faith propped up against a lifelong storm of loneliness and despair. And though that storm never let up even till Cowper’s dying day, his faith remained anchored in truth. He never turned away from the Savior, even when the earthly comforts of the truth didn’t turn the tide. Truth is eternal – it cannot be washed away by the trials this side of heaven. Long time friend John Newton wrote his confident assessment of Cowper’s ultimate triumph this way,
“Oh, what a surprise of joy, would he find himself immediately before the throne, and in the presence of his Lord! All his sorrows left, and earth exchanged for heaven.”
We need to have room for experiences like William Cowper’s in our understanding of faith. And we need to have room for people like William Cowper in our lives.
Take some time to get to know him by checking out this blog from Between Two Worlds. Justin Taylor includes a short video on Cowper produced by Mars Hill Church, and link to the transcript of a message John Piper has done on Cowper’s life and God’s purposes in it.
By Rob Flood
A recent USA Today article highlighted a staggering trend observed in the most recent Population Survey conducted by the Census Bureau:
The percentage of American households with children under 18 living at home last year hit the lowest point — 46% — in half a century…
The number means little since most of us have no context for it. However, the phrase that follows…in half a century...provides the necessary context. So, we’ve hit a 50 year low in young children. That begs the obvious question…why?
Could it be financial? Kids are expensive, you know. Could it be career? The author of the article quotes a prominent demographer who seems to think so:
"[Couples] are getting married at an age when they're enmeshed in careers, and childbearing becomes a bit more thought-out," he says.
Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt…I’m sure the stats back it up. But it falls far short of answering “why.” Why is having children being delayed? Why are children being so limited that we’ve reached a 50 year low?
Is it possible that our culture has lost sight of the blessing of children? Could it be that we’ve evaluated children on a balance sheet rather than from the pages of eternal truth?
Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! Psalm 127:3-5
Sure it can. It is no secret that the culture has experienced a multi-faceted shift toward secularism. It only stands to reason that the perspective on family would follow. But that’s not the question that ought to hang in our hearts. The question we ought to bring home with us is this: How has this shift affected my own perception of children?
Slow, steady shifts in culture often find their tentacles reaching into the church. It’s not due to the strength of the shift as much as the weakness of our own convictions. So, we should ask ourselves: How are we viewing children?
- Are they a heritage? …a gift?
- Are they a reward?
- Are we blessed as we have more of them?
And, if we are thinking rightly about children, how does this affect our actions toward them?
- Does our speech reflect their worth?
- Do our priorities reflect their priority to God?
Covenant Fellowship Church is a place that clearly and consistently values children. This is evident in your families as well as the priority placed on children’s ministry. So, this comes not by way of correction…but caution. The tentacles of wrong thinking are quiet and wily. They are patient. And so, we must be faithful to be proactive. We must be willing to ask hard questions. Our thinking must be sharp and intentional so we’re not asking down the road, “Where have all the children gone?”
Article quotes taken from the February 26, 2009 edition of USA Today entitled,
“Number of Households with Kids Hits New Low.”
By Kathy Breslin
I used to wonder how singleness could be considered a gift. I’d heard all the typical responses to that question: “it allows you to serve God,” “you’re time isn’t divided and you can focus on Him,” “think of all the wonderful ways you can help the church,” etc… I’d heard them all and in my heart I couldn’t help but think “is that really a gift?” But as I’ve lived my life as a part of this church, my response started to change.
Change doesn’t happen over night and this was no different. There was no one thing that I did or heard that caused my change in perception about my singleness to happen; but rather God’s faithfulness in my life. As I started to serve more, in my Community Group, in Alpha, babysitting for some of the families at church, reaching out to friends who don’t know the Lord, and so on, I was seeing God move in His people and my attention moved away from my own desires and focused on Him and His grace in my life.
God promises us in Psalm 37 that if we delight in Him he will give us the desires of our heart. What strikes me about this verse isn’t that he’ll give me the desires of my heart but that this is a promise from the One who formed me and has the power to shape me and change me. While my desires to have a family one day have not changed, my desires to see God’s name be great have grown. One day this may be through a family but I am excited with what He is doing through me today.
In this season the Lord has also given me a clearer idea of what the gift of marriage is all about. My view of marriage was that it was very much about me and my dreams, needs, and wants, rather than about the Lord. As some of my closest friends were getting married I started thinking more about marriage and the sacrifices my friends were making to care for their spouse, family, and home. The more I thought about this the more I realized that the sacrifices I was making to serve the Lord and the church were minor in comparison to those my newly married friends were making in their own lives. Don’t get me wrong, my friends speak of the many blessings that come in marriage. But I now have a sober appreciation for the need for grace to be married, not just to be single.
This also made me freshly grateful for my parents and the sacrifices they’ve made for me and my sister. They laid down their own desires and wants to be there for us even to this day. I might never know the full extent of the sacrifices that have been made on my behalf but I know I am grateful for them and for whom they’ve allowed me to be as a woman.
By writing this, I don’t mean to imply that I’ve arrived or that it’s never hard being a single Christian woman. But God’s faithfulness to me is greater than my circumstances and he has graciously placed me in a church that encourages me and challenges me to continue to fight the good fight. And while it’s tempting to list my phone number at the bottom of this page, just in case my future husband is reading, I will refrain and trust the Sovereign One who has provided me with more than I can ask or imagine.
By Jared Mellinger
Proverbs 27:2 says, “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.” This proverb teaches us that it’s not proper for us to always be talking about ourselves, and commending ourselves, and praising ourselves. It summarizes a warning echoed throughout the Bible against self-centeredness.
Question: Did Jesus obey Proverbs 27:2?
We’re so familiar with his sayings that its easy to miss how often Jesus is not only talking about himself, but speaking very highly of himself – commending himself, praising himself, saying things intended to cause others to think more highly of him. Mark Dever observes, “It seems like every time Jesus speaks, he speaks about himself, why he came into the world, or what he will do for those who believe in him.” (The Message of the New Testament, 103) Have you ever noticed that? It seems like every time Jesus speaks, he speaks about himself. His entire ministry was characterized by self-commendation. He praises himself constantly, and without apology. Was he that self-centered?
Think about it: Who else besides Jesus walks into a group of people and says, “I tell you, something greater than the temple is here” (Mt. 12:6)? Or, “Something greater than Solomon is here” (Mt. 12:42). “Learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart” (Mt. 11:29). “I am the Good Shepherd” (John 10:11). He is praising himself with his own mouth. “I, Jesus, am the bright morning star” (Rev. 22:16). “I am the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end” (Rev. 22:13).
What about Proverbs 27:2, and letting another praise you? How can Jesus commend himself as he does?
The answer is that Jesus knows who he is. He knows that the most important message in the history of the world is the message of who he is and what he came to earth to accomplish. He knows that he alone can save us and satisfy our hearts. The Good Shepherd is only good if he guides us to himself. And so the message Jesus brought was the message of himself. The self-centeredness that Proverbs 27:2 warns against is when people who should not be the center live as if they are. Jesus wasn’t capable of the self-centeredness that we can display because he is in fact the center of everything that matters in the universe.
In making himself the center of his teaching, and in commending himself as he does, Jesus parts ways with every other religious leader in the history of the world. Study the teachings of Muhammad, or look at Buddha or anyone else. Every other religious leader has come pointing people away from themselves to the way of salvation, claiming to direct people to the truth through their teachings, or by providing an example of an ethical life.
Jesus is altogether unique, and his message is entirely and radically different, because the centerpiece of his message is himself. Jesus did not just come claiming to have the truth, he came saying that he is the truth. He declares that he alone is the door of salvation, and that he alone is the Good Shepherd. No one has ever spoken like this man. Christ stands alone, in a league of his own. He is worthy of praise, and therefore he praises himself and invites us to join him – not in praising and commending ourselves with our own mouths, but in praising and commending him as our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
By David Mayinja
Have you looked forward to the birth of your new baby, anticipated their arrival, imagined how they will look, looked forward to counting those ten toes and fingers, seeing all the other physical attributes in their proper place, hearing that first cry as they take their first breath of the earthly air, but alas, they arrive into this world with a deformity? Probably this has happened to you, but being in a developed country, probably this was even detected during the pregnancy on one of your prenatal visits and the doctors began formulating a plan for taking care of the deformity in your child. Now imagine a poor woman in rural Uganda pregnant with her third child, with no access to primary health care, and no not visit to the doctor in the nine months she is pregnant. Then the day comes and she gives birth at home to a child with a congenital deformity –Meningocoele – a condition characterized by an unfused spine with a protruding fluid filled sac from the brain. What does this mother do?
By the Grace of God this mother heard through the grapevine that Covenant Mercies was conducting a medical mission not too far from where she lived. So she bundled up her one month old daughter Asaph one afternoon and brought her to the clinic. During the examination the mother narrated to the physician attending to the baby that the only option available to them for medical care was the traditional doctor in the village. They had taken the baby to him and he had pierced the fluid filled sac with a red hot nail and applied herbal medicines. This could have led to infections, but by the mercy of God, the child was healthy.
Asaph needed corrective surgery or she would not live beyond her first year. This surgery could only be performed in a pediatric hospital in Mbale, a day and a half of hard travel away. As we considered our limited options to serve her, I managed to get in touch with an American doctor who had previously been the administrator of this hospital. He informed me that there was a referral hospital three hours away from where we were! They would be able to evaluate the child’s condition before being transported to Mbale. I contacted the director of this facility and brought her up to speed with the situation we were handling and she promised to get back to me the next day. The following morning she called me and informed me that two representatives from the pediatric hospital in Mbale would be attending a meeting thirty minutes from where we were conducting our mission! She requested me to have the child brought there for the evaluation. It was becoming pretty obvious to me that God’s hand was at work in this situation.
The child and her mother were taken to the arranged venue the next day. The doctors evaluated the child and decided to admit her to their referral hospital for preparation to be transported to the pediatric hospital in Mbale. She was moved up the priority list for surgeries and two successive operations were performed on her.
Asaph was later returned to the referral hospital near nearby where she recovered from the surgeries before going back to her village. The parents were given counsel as to how to care for her when she returned home. The costs for all the medical care were underwritten by two of the members of the Covenant Mercies medical mission to Kiburara. The doctors who performed the operation have indicated that Asaph will be able to have a normal life and has promise to grow into adulthood.
What a testimony of God’s care and love for this family! Pastor Moses, with whose church Covenant Mercies has partnered in Kiburara, continues to make regular visits to this family and to share with them the Gospel. May this significant intervention of God in their mundane and difficult life awaken them to His Saving grace and mercy?
We can all rejoice in Asaph’s story – a story of God bringing the resources of two local churches – one a suburban congregation in the US, the other a small church in rural Uganda – together through the ministry of Covenant Mercies to make a life changing difference in one family’s life.
By Kim Sykora
Blog czar’s note: Kim sent this to me a year ago and we didn’t have a chance to run it. But with the current economic situation I thought it might be timely for some guys. I’ve seen Kim’s garden and it is a work of art! The man knows his produce! But lest you think he be some kind of gentleman farmer, I can tell you that Kim was a missionary dentist for years and runs his own full time dental practice plus leads one of our Family Life Community Groups. So if you’re interested in talking to him about it you can contact him through Churchbook.
When Yvonne and I started our sizeable vegetable garden a few years ago, our neighbor brought over the review for a book she, tongue-in-cheek, thought we should read, entitled “The $64 Tomato: How One Man Nearly Lost His Sanity, Spent a Fortune, and Endured an Existential Crisis in the Quest for the Perfect Garden (by Wm. Alexander). Although we chuckled at the title, the parody appeared to propagate the myth that gardening is an expensive waste of time. We’re here to tell you it might be worth the effort.
At a time when most of us are feeling the squeeze of rising prices on our family budgets and shrinking income in our jobs, we’ve found that one of our best “investments” is our vegetable garden. Even a single tomato plant or package of seeds can yield pounds of produce, saving real money, with modest involvement. Sure, the old “time vs. money” rule applies, as it does take some effort to make it happen. But you don’t need a ‘back 40’ and a John Deere to produce a budget helping harvest. With a little time and energy investment out in the fresh air (itself a great benefit) you can develop your own lifestyle-sized vegetable garden.
If you’ve never gardened or feel you wouldn’t know how to start, don’t despair. Keep it simple. Find a small sunny area to dig up and plant a few tomatoes and perhaps a small row of green beans. Water and weed when necessary and in six to eight weeks, you’ll be enjoying the freshest food you’ve ever eaten. Asparagus straight from the garden is, in my opinion, absolutely the best!
If you want to jump in this year, you still have a bit of time to plant warm weather crops like eggplant, peppers and tomatoes. You’ll need to get going right away for beans and cucumbers. It’s already getting a bit late for peas and lettuce – think of next year for those.
I’d suggest that families make it a family project so it doesn’t just get dumped on Mom. Perhaps home school families could, with a little creativity, incorporate gardening into their curriculum. Families who live near each other could even share in the work and yield. Even if you don’t have much of a yard you can still make it work. Certain varieties of tomatoes and peppers can be grown nicely in patio containers and still yield good crops. And if you’re blessed with more than you can eat, a gift of fresh garden produce is a wonderful way to bless someone else – perhaps leading to a Gospel Outreach opportunity.
God originally supplied food to Adam and Eve from a garden. Surely He knew what He was doing.
By Deb Demi
When we first moved to this area in 1986 from South Carolina we had 5 kids 7 years old and under. Not only did we have all these kids, we didn’t know anyone, had no family in the area and had a very tight budget. But one thing that we knew was the importance of spending time alone as a couple. Dating was something that we had practiced since we first got married. So, it was at this point in our lives that Friday night “home dates” were born.
Here’s how it would work…I would feed the kids (usually macaroni and cheese) before Jeff came home from work. And to keep things interesting, we would take turns planning the date – though Jeff usually had more energy at this time in the day. Once he walked in the door, he would release me to get ready for the evening while he often prepared the bathroom by cleaning the bathtub, setting up music, books, and candles, so that I could take a nice hot bubble bath. While I was relaxing, he would spend time with the kids and get them settled for the evening.
Usually the date would officially begin by 7:30. The littlest ones went to sleep while the older few were allowed to quietly play games or read in their rooms. It was actually an exciting evening for them too – I think that they sensed my excitement and Jeff’s care. As they got older and more kids were added to our family, the older ones would orchestrate their time upstairs – it was their first opportunity to babysit.
After the kids were given specific instructions, we would either order in or I would buy something special at the grocery store ahead of time, and we would spend the first half hour preparing our dinner together…alone. Being at home gave us the option of eating in front of the fireplace, out on the screen porch or even in our bedroom as we engaged in conversation.
At first I wasn’t thrilled about the idea of staying home for a date night – the place I spent my entire day – but as the weeks went by a special fondness in my heart grew for these times. As a matter of fact, I began to prefer them over the rigmarole of picking up a babysitter, giving instructions, and spending more money on the babysitter than the date. We also became more creative with what we could do during a home date J…
So how about you? Do you have small children or a limited budget? Why not consider a home date? I think that the investment into our marriage when our kids were young made a difference in our marriage today. Even though all 5 of those kids are now old enough to babysit, occasionally we still prefer the good ole home date.
Ramona Doyle
When I read Trish Donohue’s outstanding blog last week on how to be a younger woman, my immediate thought was, “What timely and helpful advice! I wish someone had shared these thoughts to me when I was young…” But it got me thinking about the other side of the equation – the ‘older woman’. In order to write these thoughts, I first had to admit to myself that I am an older woman (well, at least a little olderJ). I know I’ve already lost many of you with this title, but if you look past culture to the biblical picture of an older woman, she possesses much to be desired! So here goes…
To those of us who are a little further along in years, Trish made a good point that I’ll state in reverse. We are called to be younger women as well as older women! I find it helpful to remember that though I have hopefully learned some things along the way and grown in wisdom by the grace of God, I am still a work in process. I need help every bit as my younger sisters. There are also those women who are a step ahead of me in years or life situation that I can seek out to draw from the storehouse of God’s wisdom and grace in their lives.
So how can I be an effective older woman?
1. Be observant. Remember that though older than some, there are those older than me. Take note of who is walking ahead of you. There are many women around us who have hit those important milestones ahead of us…the marriage of a child, grandchildren, change of life, empty nest, to name a few. They have cared for their families and managed their homes in the midst. Who has excelled in these things…seek them out and ask specific questions!
Blog Czar Andy here… I thought this was a great point which stirred a couple of thoughts, so I’m breaking into Ramona’s blog with them. First, if you are raising teens and tweens there are some younger women who may better know what temptations and cultural enticements your girls may face than you. It might be wise of you to find out what young women in this culture face and not trust in your own experience when you were that age. Second, there are also some chronologically younger women who have gone through things you may yet face – debilitating illness, the death of a parent or even a spouse. These women have much to offer, but often feel unable to identify with women who haven’t walked where they have walked. Sweet, mutual ministry awaits those whose eyes are open to these opportunities.
2. Look at whom the Lord has placed in your life. If you are an older woman, there are younger women who need you! With whom do you rub shoulders in the everyday activities of your life …perhaps in a ministry, through contact with your own grown children, in your community group, or around the church? Start to pray for these younger women. Encourage them as the Lord gives opportunity. Perhaps the Lord will open a door to a deeper relationship.
3. Be available. I find it all too easy to fill every available moment with activity. I may be doing good things, but if it is at the expense of fellowship and being available to the people the Lord has placed in my life, I may be missing some big opportunities.
What a delightful pattern the Lord has set forth in his word to ensure that we continue to grow in our love for Him, our walk in His ways, and in our ability to care for those He has entrusted to us. May we as women soak our hearts and minds in the rich storehouse of wisdom the Lord has made available from the lives of those who have gone before us – and come after us.
By Jared Mellinger
I recently read a thought-provoking book by Tullian Tchividjian (pronounced cha-vi-jin). The title alone is worth reflecting on for a few hours: Unfashionable: Making a Difference in the World by Being Different.
Who is Tullian? He is Billy Graham’s grandson, who spent a number of his early hears in rebellion from God before responding to the Gospel call, later to the call to ministry. He has been pastoring a church in Florida, which just recently merged with Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church. Coral Ridge’s long time pastor, D. James Kennedy, went to be with the Lord in 2007, so Tullian is now an early thirties man who is carrying on in the wake of two of the greatest evangelistic ministers of the Twentieth Century.
So what is he doing writing a fashion book? Actually Tullian is seeking to challenge my generation of Christians. One of the most troubling trends Tullian says he sees among today’s young Christians is our fascination with fitting in. We are quick to run after what is fashionable, stylish, and cool.
Tullian shares his story of visiting a church when he was an unbeliever. He says “What stood out most was just how refreshingly different it was, compared to everything I’d come to believe was cool and in style.” That morning made a serious difference in his life, and convinced him unbelievers today “aren’t looking for something appealing and trendy.” People are starving for depth and truthfulness, not cleverness or trendiness.
The way to make a difference in the world is by being different from the world, not by mimicking what the world seems to value. The way to be relevant to the world around us is, ironically, to resist the urge to run after relevance. The way to be faithful in the long run is to resist the seduction of pursuing coolness. The way to get the world to sit up and listen is to say things that are unfashionably eternal.
Like Tullian, “I want to be part of a generation that understands this and is radically committed to being different, unfashionable, uncool.” It is when we choose to follow the unfashionable claims of an unfashionable Christ that we begin to make a real difference in the world.
Are you committed to making a difference in the world by being different from the world? Are you in faith to be unfashionable?
By Stefan Bomberger
You probably have many reasons you are pro-life. But what if you were asked this in a supermarket line or by the person sitting next to you on a bus or plane? Could you answer it in 30 seconds? Could your short answer do your convictions justice?
A recent pro-life training class was given this challenge by Lindsey Hoban. She is a fellow church member and law student at Drexel. The challenge was to prepare a clear and concise defense as to why they are pro-life; something that could be shared in about 30 seconds. And something that is persuasive, taking into consideration many of the counter-arguments before they are even spoken.
To this end, she gave us a sample which she regularly uses with her friends, classmates, and teachers. It was excellent, I’ve included it in the blog today for everyone’s benefit:
“How do we know when a member of the human race isn't a person? A line has to be drawn where personhood begins. Everyone is drawing a line—whether they realize it or not. Conception is the most logical, scientifically defendable place to draw that line because conception marks the beginning of a genetically distinct, unitary human being maturing through self-directed development.”
“Every time in history that we’ve made personhood contingent on anything other than membership in the human race, the consequences have been horrific (declaring slaves as non-persons; the Holocaust). The power to deny personhood is the power to strip rights and destroy. We should take great pause before saying that another human is not a person.”
Notice five key concepts Lindsey introduces in her argument:
1. Genetically distinct – “Genetically distinct” means that an embryo is a different organism than the mother (different DNA). In contrast, sperm and egg cells aren't distinct organisms; they're just another one of mom and dad's cells. At the end of 9 months, an unfertilized egg is still one cell, no infant.
2. Human being – An embryo is fully human. An embryo isn’t a “potential life”. It may be a “potential adult”, just like an adolescent, but they’re already alive.
3. Unitary – An embryo is a group of cells—but it's a different kind of group than the cells I lose when I cut my finger. The difference is that an embryo is a unitary organism while the blood in my band-aid isn't. I can cut my finger and lose a group of cells but I haven't lost a human being.
4. Maturing – In the proper environment, embryos mature at a rapid pace. Unless severely damaged or lacking nutrients, there is a “gapless continuum” of development.
5. Through self-directed development – An embryo’s development is self-directed—not extrinsically determined. It has DNA information and has active disposition to use that information.
I’d encourage you to take up Lindsey’s challenge. Grab a piece of paper and give it a shot creating your own, 30-second answer. What would you say when someone asks you why you are pro-life?
Editor’s Note: For more information and reading on the issue of abortion, consider these two fine resources by Randy Alcorn: “Why Pro-Life” and “Pro-Life Answers to Pro-Choice Arguments.”
By Andy Farmer
In his book, Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hand Paul Tripp describes how we view ourselves as something akin to looking at ourselves through a carnival mirror (p. 279). This is such a wonderful description of how I look at myself. Sure, I see myself, but not clearly or consistently. And like the distorted views of a carnival mirror, sometimes my perspective of myself can be way off. That’s usually the case when I’m in a conflict with Jill and I can’t fathom why she doesn’t see the pristine logic of my arguments.
But the truth is, even if I had a Hubble-quality mirror, I wouldn’t be able to fully see myself. Whenever I look in a mirror I can only see one side of me. That means I’m effectively blind to the rest of me. When I turn to see a different side I lose sight of what I was just looking at before. It’s not only impossible to see myself fully, it is also impossible to keep what I have seen in view when I’m looking elsewhere.
This is true in a physical sense, but it’s also true in a spiritual sense. For example, when I’m trying to focus on my impatience with others, I can seem to get a good idea of how that works. But I can’t easily see how impatience is connected to some other selfish craving, like control. And when I try to focus on the ways I want to control my life I lose sight of how I can impatiently treat people like circumstances or impediments. I am so grateful that the Word of God is a true mirror, not only in its accuracy, but in its three dimensionality. It shows my life in all its interconnectivity. And I’m thankful that I am not dependent on natural sight to truly see. The Spirit of God is able to open my eyes and direct my gaze not only to who I really am, but what he is really doing by grace.By Rob Flood
You may remember the account of the two women standing before King Solomon, both claiming to be the mother of the same baby boy. (1 Kings 3:16ff) Each makes her case before the freshly crowned king, neither proving to be especially persuasive. So, after recounting his confusion, Solomon commands the unthinkable: “Bring me a sword.”
Solomon’s proposal was to split the boy in half…that way, the women could share the boy. Perhaps a less drastic “fair” proposal might have been shared custody, but Solomon was about the business of proving a point. So Solomon chose the most extreme form of fairness. While one of the women thought this was a fine idea, the other would have none of it:
Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and by no means put him to death.
1 Kings 3:26
Imagine…this woman was his rightful mother. Yet, rather than take the way of “fairness,” she chose the way of “love,” at her own cost. Because of her love for the boy, she would rather give him away and do without him than see him destroyed. Of course, Solomon saw this maternal love and granted her full custody of the boy, delivering him from death.
This may cause you to think of another time where love surpassed fairness.
He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
Psalm 103:10
The “fair” way to deal with fallen mankind is to sentence us to death…consign our fate to hell. Could it be more fair? After all, we’ve earned it.
For the wages of sin is death.
Romans 6:23
But God, from a place of love, chose to address the issue of fairness in another way. Rather than settle it with each of us, on the account of our sins, He chose to settle it on the cross of Christ.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son,
that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16
God has not dealt with us our of fairness…He has dealt with us out of love. We all stand on the favorable side of the fairness equation. We all stand indebted to a God of love.
So the next time your spouse says something unkind…or even inaccurate…you have a choice to act out of “fairness” or “love.” The next time your children are clearly wrong, you have a choice to act out of “fairness” or “love.” Will you act as one who is in the right? Or will you act as one who is indebted to the love of a forgiving God? Could this be what God meant when He inspired these words in Colossians 3:13-14?
Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other;
as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love,
which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
The near future is bound to present all of us with a time when we are in the right…when someone in our lives is clearly in the wrong. Your heart may well up within you commanding the unthinkable: “Bring me a sword.” Catch yourself and remember your own indebtedness to our loving God. And remember that there really are times when love surpasses fairness.
By Trish Donohue
Wow! What a great title! I have you all hooked, I know it. You’re envisioning the long sought fountain of youth bubbling up and covering all those fine wrinkles and graying hairs. I’m sure Clinique offers something like this for approximately $350, but physical youth is actually not today’s topic. It’s how to be the younger woman described in the well-known Titus passage: Older women…are to so train the younger women…”
Okay, it’s true that these verses are directed toward the older woman; the one we are all hoping will arrive in our moment of need, shower us with life-changing wisdom, and clean our kitchen while she’s at it. But here’s the deal—most women who would be a benefit to us aren’t prophetic enough to discern the moment we need them, confident enough to assume we want to hear from them, or available enough to be waiting outside our door for the cry of despair. SO! Take out your note-pads ye seekers of wisdom. Here are some tips on how to be a younger woman.
1. Look around. Sometimes we get “fridge disease.” You know, you’re looking for the salsa in the fridge and its right in front of you. These elusive older women are sometimes right in front of us in the lobby at church, sitting beside us in community group, or right behind us in worship. Who has God placed in our lives that is a little further along? Whose children are a few years older than ours? Who excels in an area where we are weak? Look around and pick out a woman you could learn from.
2. Jot down some specific questions for her. How does she maintain such purposefulness in her singleness? How does she do meal planning for her family? What is her daily schedule? What do her quiet times look like? It’s helpful to have some questions ready so you can drop into a conversation quickly.
3. Initiate. Invite her to lunch after church or to grab some coffee between services, or draw her out after community group. These conversations don’t have to be formal; in fact, it’s sometimes better when they’re not! God promises to give grace to the humble, and He will bless our efforts to learn from the women He’s given us.
How do I know this? Because I need a lot of help, and a lot of wisdom! I recently chatted with a woman whose children are a few years ahead of mine and her counsel was so helpful. A few weeks later, I grabbed a couple of moms at a meeting and asked them if they had ever struggled with a particular sin I was seeing in my life. Help is often a conversation away! And because we’re all called to be “older women” as well as “younger women,” let’s drink in as much wisdom as we can so that we have something to pour out when a younger woman reads this blog and walks over to us!
By Jared Mellinger
Last week the Pastoral Team, along with our wives, attended the Sovereign Grace Pastors Conference in Gaithersburg Maryland. This conference has been a highlight over the years as all the folks serving in pastoral ministry have come together to be instructed in the care of God’s people and our shared mission together. It is also a time of reconnecting with friends who are participating together with us in the advance of the Gospel through church planting in our still-small movement of churches.
Historically we have been served by friends from outside Sovereign Grace – men like John Piper, R. C. Sproul, Wayne Grudem, David Powlison, and others - who speak into our experience from theirs. But this year was special – it truly was a family affair. All of the main sessions featured Sovereign Grace leaders speaking on the theme of Pastoral ministry. Both Dave and I had the privilege of doing main sessions – Dave on ‘The Pastor and the Mission’ and yours truly on ‘The Pastor and the Future’. In my session I had the privilege of communicating our recent experience in the Senior Pastor transition. One further evidence of how your pastoral team is having influence were the opportunities Jim Donohue and Andy Farmer had to lead seminars, as well as Marty Machowski, who participated in a children’s ministry panel.
One of the highlights for me was hearing C.J. Mahaney speak from 1 Peter 5:1-4 on the task of pastoral ministry and shepherding God’s people.
C.J. reminded us that the call to pastoral ministry is “the most elevated task God could assign to a man.” This is because it is pastors who have been entrusted with those for whom Christ died. The flock we care for is “the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood” (Acts 20:28). It should be astonishing to all of us that God would call anyone to this remarkable task.
One of the applications of this truth is that when people ask me what I do, I should be amazed, humbled, and joyful. My service must be “not under compulsion, but willingly” (1 Pet 5:2). C.J. reminded us that God wants happy pastors who in turn create a culture of joy in the church, as we together “Serve the Lord with gladness!” (Ps 100:2).
As I sat there listening to C.J. preach, I was reminded once again of what a joy is it to lead Covenant Fellowship. I can’t believe I get to be your pastor! This will never cease to be a source of astonishment to me. Thank you, once again, for making it such an overwhelming joy to serve you, and for making it so easy for every one of the pastors to be “happy pastors.” We thank God for you often, and we return from the conference happier than ever to be called shepherds of the flock of God at Covenant Fellowship Church.
By Doug Hayes
Next time you have an opportunity to spend time with an infant, run a little test. Hold a brightly colored toy in front of the baby’s face until it grabs his attention, then move it quickly behind your back. At 6 months of age, the infant will simply move on to something else as if the object no longer exists.
At 9 months to a year, the child will look for the toy and possibly even crawl around behind your back to find it. That’s because he has acquired what child development experts call object permanence: the knowledge that an object continues to exist even when it is out of sight.
Prior to the development of object permanence, it is truly “out of sight, out of mind.”
Living in the suburbs can lead us to an “out of sight, out of mind” mentality toward the poor. We’re pretty comfortable and typically pretty busy, so it’s easy to forget that our experience is not shared by most people in the world. Suffering under injustice, multi-generational poverty cycles, and disease is common. We need to develop what Gary Haugen calls compassion permanence: the capacity to remember the needs of those who are suffering…even when they are out of our immediate sight.
Compassion permanence is not best motivated by guilt. We are not to feel guilty that we live like this and they live like that. Compassion permanence is best motivated by cultivating a heart for the poor that resonates with God’s heart for them.
How can we cultivate compassion permanence?
- Adopt God’s Heart of the Poor: Develop a sensitivity to the many biblical references to the poor, the orphan, the widow, and the disposition of God toward them. Consider these examples:
Psalm 72:4 - May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor!
Luke 14:13-14 - But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you.
When you read these verses, don’t think, “That’s the way it was in biblical times. That’s not the world I live in.” That is the world you live in. The fact that this side of the world is outside the realm of common experience only magnifies the need to intentionally remember. God’s Word can help us to do that.
- Take Action: In addition to remembering the poor, we are called to take action on their behalf. Jesus said, “I was hungry and you gave me food… I was sick and you visited me.” Those are action words! Biblical compassion doesn’t simply empathize with the poor; it takes action to alleviate their suffering.
- Give to the Work: Another means of serving the poor (and taking action on their behalf) is financial giving. Let’s be honest… even in these uncertain financial times, God has given most of us resources far in abundance of our needs. I can only believe he intends us to emulate the example of our selfless Savior, emptying ourselves of material riches so that others might know the riches of his mercy and grace.
Alongside all of these ways to cultivate compassion permanence must be prayer. We must do whatever is necessary to remind us to pray for the poor around the world. Notes on the fridge…post its in your Bible…reminders on your Blackberry or laptop. If we are faithful to pray for the poor, they will never be out of our minds…even if they are out of our sight.
As Covenant Mercies’ makes regular contributions toward this blog, we will attempt to help in the struggle we all have to cultivate compassion permanence as a church.
Posted by Chris Radano
“The heavens declare the glory of God...” - Psalm 19:1
“You are a believer in God? But you’re a scientist...” - personal friend
As a research chemist, my world consists of laboratories, chemicals, funny looking glassware and unique vocabulary. To the surprise of my friend quoted above, my faith in God and my love for science were not mutually exclusive. As a research chemist, I constantly try to find ‘pictures’ in the chemistry lab to help me meditate biblical truths. The use of chemistry language to describe certain theological processes can be very clarifying to me.
For example, there’s the process of crystallization. Crystallization is a common technique whereby a solid substance (molecule, compound, etc) is purified from a mixture of impurities - e.g. – stuff that doesn’t belong. The substance is dissolved in a suitable solvent and slowly cooled. Crystals of the pure substance begin to form, becoming larger and larger, where they can be easily separated. The impurities never crystallize, remaining dissolved in the solvent, ultimately washing away. When I see crystallization I think about the process of sanctification.
Crystallization is a slow process and is a reminder to me that sanctification doesn’t take place overnight. The process of crystallization cannot be rushed, but it is a kinetic process - meaning that the overall purity of the final material is dependent on the rate at which the crystallization takes place. Too fast and the impurities are co-crystallizing with (i.e. attach themselves to) the substance, which means it is not becoming pure. The slower the crystallization kinetics, the more easily the beauty of the crystals is seen. To me, the parallel is clear - quick fixes in behavior don’t work to truly purify the heart. They seem helpful and progress seems to be made, but it is the kinetic effect of the sanctification process over time that produces the beauty of true purity.
The crystallization process happens when the chemist applies certain instruments and techniques to concentrate a chemical activity. To me the instruments of analysis and techniques of detecting impurity are means of common grace for the scientist to work with chemical processes. In a similar way, God has given us means of grace to work for our benefit in the process of sanctification. For example, prayer, application of the Word of God, accountability, trials and adversity in life, the encouragement of fellowship, etc. all make a meaningful contribution to sanctification if we apply them in appropriate ways.
These examples and correlations between chemistry and theology are eye-opening to me when I really sit down and consider them. I hope that this little lesson in theological science helps you join me in marveling at the wisdom of our Creator/Redeemer. My purpose is not to try to fit God into my world, but visualize my world as part of what God has created and speaks about in His word.
Posted by Rob Flood
Some of us have decades behind us in our marriage and some have weeks. Some are excited about the road they’ve traveled…some devastated by it. And some are eager for more while others can’t imagine traveling even one more step down the road.
Too often, in our potentially well-motivated desire to understand the road ahead, we can allow the past to define our future. If the past is bright, we assume that the future will be. If the past is bleak, then so too the future will be. When we fall into that trap, we’ve lost sight of the central truth upon which the success or failure of the future rests…the presence of God.
Consider this quote from Love that Lasts by Gary and Betsy Ricucci:
Regardless of how many miles you’ve already traveled, so much of the glorious adventure of marriage is still before you. Whether you are enjoying open road and clear skies, or whether you are struggling up yet another mountain in stormy weather…whether you are just pulling out of your driveway or nearly to the end of the trip home…God is there with you to help you finish the journey, and finish it well.
If the road behind you has been bright, are you able to see the hand of God preserving you on your journey? If it has been bleak, can you see His sustaining and comforting hand? He was there…each step of the way.
And He will be there for your next step. The brightness or bleakness of the road ahead is not best determined by the circumstances. It is determined by the nearness or farness of God. And whether the skies are clear and sunny or overcast and stormy, God will be there. He has promised to be. He has a proven track record of being there in the past. There was a man upon a cross upon a hill slain to purchase us for God. He did not purchase you only to abandon you…or your marriage.
So, regardless of the condition of the road ahead, look for God. He will be there leveling the path…and holding your hand as you navigate the rocks. Don’t take my word on it…take His:
Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.
I will not leave you or forsake you.
Joshua 1:5
I am with you always, to the end of the age.
Matthew 28:20
Posted by Deb Demi
If you’re anything like me, staying focused while praying can be a struggle. Minutes after I begin to pray, I oftentimes find that my mind has drifted off on an endless rabbit trail of unrelated thoughts. Though praying will always involve discipline and faith, the Lord has graciously given me a tool that has made my prayer time more effective, more enjoyable, and more gospel centered.
To stay focused, I keep lyrics to worship songs and hymns before me as I pray (usually while walking on the treadmill). My prayer time begins by choosing a song and singing it aloud before the Lord. After I sing/pray a verse, I continue by praying aloud my own thanksgiving, praise, and requests related to the lines of the song.
For instance, one song that I’ve been using for quite some time in praying for my children is “One Pure and Holy Passion” by Mark Altrogge. Instead of using the word “me” in the song, I replace it with “them.” So I sing (aloud), “Give them one pure and holy passion. Give them one magnificent obsession. Jesus give them one glorious ambition for their lives, to know and follow hard after You.” Then I may pause between lines and pray that they would fully grasp the gospel, that they would hunger after God’s word, and that they would not desire anything that the world has to offer them more than Christ.
Not only is alternating singing and praying through hymns and gospel-centered worship songs valuable for praying for my children, songs with rich lyrics provide a valuable context for meditating on the gospel while helping me to verbally give thanks to God for all that He has done for me. Through others’ carefully crafted words, I’m reminded of who my hope is in.
Recently I sang/prayed through “Be Thou My Vision”, “Rock of Ages”, “In Christ Alone”, and “One Pure and Holy Passion.” By using these songs as a backdrop for my prayer time, I had no trouble praying for 30 minutes. My focus was directed away from me and my needs and toward giving glory to God. The songs provided a springboard, enabling me to pray more effectively for my husband, children, neighbors, and CG members. The extended time of prayer it afforded, allowed me to quiet my soul to hear God speak, and by singing and praying aloud, my mind did not drift. I left my prayer time feeling that I not only brought my needs before the throne of God, I was able to reflect on the gospel and truly worship God.
Though I don’t use this prayer method every day (sometimes I pray through scriptures or a prayer list), I think that praying through depth-filled worship songs can be a tool that can spur us on in our praying. Why not give it a try?
Posted by Jared Mellinger
This year our Good Friday service and our Easter service will flow out of the theme of our current sermon series, “In My Place”.
Good Friday is the Friday before Easter and is the day Christians historically commemorate the suffering and death of Christ. This year, rather than preaching a sermon on Good Friday, there will be several short reflections from Isaiah 53 – ‘the song of the Suffering Servant’ - during our time together. Also, in addition to singing and prayer, we will be participating together in the Lord’s Supper.
The Lord’s Supper, or communion, is one of the ways Jesus teaches us the centrality of his death. John Stott writes,
“What did the bread and wine signify? The words he had spoken explained. Of the bread he had said ‘This is my body given for you’, and of the wine ‘This is my blood shed for you’. So his death spoke to them from both the elements. The bread did not stand for his living body, as he reclined with them at table, but his body as it was shortly to be ‘given’ for them in death. Similarly, the wine did not stand for his blood as it flowed in his veins while he spoke to them, but his blood which was shortly to be ‘poured out’ for them in death. The evidence is plain and irrefutable. The Lord’s Supper, which was instituted by Jesus, and which is the only regular commemorative act authorized by him, dramatizes neither his birth nor his life, neither his words nor his works, but only his death. Nothing could indicate more clearly the central significance which Jesus attached to his death. It was by his death that he wished above all else to be remembered.” (The Cross of Christ, p. 68)
That is what we will be remembering together at our Good Friday service.
Then, on Easter Sunday, there will be a sermon on the resurrection, also from Isaiah 53. Yes, Isaiah 53. A resurrection sermon, full of joy and hope, drawn from a chapter on the death of the suffering servant! The sermon text will be Isaiah 53:10-12. These verses are what enable John Stott to say, “It is from Isaiah 53 that Jesus seems to have derived the clearest forecast not only of his sufferings, but also of his subsequent glory.” (The Cross of Christ, 31)
I’m eager to reflect on the sufferings of Christ and celebrate the subsequent glory of Christ together. Let’s also remember that we go through Easter week in a world full of lost people blind and desperate for the message of the death and resurrection of Christ for them. Pray that during this week God will stir cold hearts to seek him afresh, and that some of those he is drawing will join with us in our celebration.
Posted by Rob Flood
For years, every Wednesday night in our home, I taught a Bible study. One evening, at the beginning of one of our meetings, there was a knock on our door. I opened to find a high school acquaintance and, who I later discovered to be, his wife. I asked what brought them out to the Bible study and heard this surprising response: “I think we’re supposed to be born again and I was hoping you could tell us how to do that.”
On that odd Wednesday night, evangelism stepped into my world. It may be the first recorded event where a person knocked on the door…not to share the gospel…but to ask for it. But don’t get used to that kind of opportunity, folks. It doesn’t happen often…and it hasn’t happened since.
We have been given a message to take to the lost. We are not to hoard our message until the lost come knocking at our door…we are to take it to them. Consider Romans 10:15:
“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
Notice it doesn’t say “How beautiful are the front doors of those who preach the good news;” it says “feet.” And it says “feet” because that is what brought the good news into “their” world. The good news was not buried in our world for them to come and get it whenever they felt like it.
Stepping into evangelism most often means stepping out of our world.
This Sunday, at Covenant Life Church, Jim Donohue preached a message on evangelism. (the full audio can be found HERE.) In his message, he highlights the awkwardness of stepping out of your world, along with the necessity of doing so. (Check out the clip of Jim’s message below.) As you consider this truth in light of your world, may you pursue feet of ever-increasing beauty.
Posted by Andy Farmer
I turned 50 last week. People ask me how if feels – a half century old. I can’t really tell much difference from 49. But I did have one of those ‘whoa, I’m not a young man anymore’ moments on my birthday.
I have always had this tendency to judge my age by how I mentally picture people I read about in a newspaper. For so long when I would read, ‘the suspect was a 50 year old white male….’ I’d think ‘what is an old coot doing something stupid like that for?’. Now I’m that guy – or at least could be a candidate for a police line-up in the investigation.
But I’ve had another more helpful insight on my birthday as well. I’ve just started reading a book in my devotions called Keeping the Heart by Puritan pastor John Flavel. In his introduction I came across something that seemed to be a birthday present from the Spirit of God. Flavel writes,
“Remember that you are at the door of eternity and have other work to do”
Puritan paragraphs can wear me out, but Puritan sentences wake me up. So what does this sentence do for me? One of my defining characteristics is how long it takes me to leave somewhere. I admire people who pick up the keys and go. But my family and friends have always marveled at how many things can distract me between going and gone. I’ll be headed to the door and then suddenly realize it’s a perfect time to change that light bulb to a higher wattage, download that song, fix that door handle….. then get to the car with no keys in my hand. Common sense says that to get anywhere in a timely way the best course of action is to forget everything else and walk out the door.
But Flavel helps me see that there’s one door that we will all go through that isn’t best approached with expediency. The door of eternity is coming closer and closer to me. Age makes it all the more real and all the more interesting. But I want to reach for that door intensely distracted by the work of the Kingdom yet to be done while I’m here. I want to go through that door a busy man; maybe even surprised that I’m leaving because I’m focused on the other work I have to do. That’s the prayer of this newly minted fifty year old coot.
Posted by Rob Flood
On Saturday night, we had a wonderful time in the Word and in Q&A discussion as we pondered and applied our Family Life Values from our recent Sunday morning series. (You can listen to the messages HERE.) One running theme through the night was how to keep marriage a priority in the midst of schedule and parenting demands. Below are some of the ideas that were shared.
- Date Night: For those that have been a part of Covenant Fellowship Church for long, this is not a revolutionary idea…you’ve heard it quite a bit. But we can never be reminded too often about its importance. If you haven’t been around for long, here’s what we’re talking about.
Take one night a week, or every other week, and devote it to each other. It may involve leaving your home for a restaurant or coffee shop or staying home, but it is a night devoted to marriage. The idea is to talk as adults…as husband and wife…not as mom and dad. Recall the conversations you had before you were married…dreams, desires, goals…and add to that conversations you’ve had since marriage…romance, intimacy, communication…and revisit them all on date night.
- Problem Solving Night: Pick one night a week or every other week to discuss major issues. It may be a marital issue…it may be a big picture parenting issue. By the very nature of it being big picture, there is no urgency to it. Maybe it’s a pattern of behavior for the wife or husband…maybe a sin pattern with one of the children…save the big discussions over the issue for problem solving night. That way, these bigger ticket items don’t crowd out other conversations. They don’t pop up on date night or family night when fun should be the order of the day.
- Family Night: “I thought we were talking about marriage.” We are. But many of you still have children in your home. So, consider them. Give them a night each week that is dedicated to them…for them to look forward to. Make it a fun night…perhaps board games, or a fun family video, or a trip to the park. Don’t make it expensive, as you’ll have to repeat it each week. Do make it memorable and do make it child centered. That way, as your children see you leaving on date night as a couple, they know they have their night, too.
And, once you start family night…stay faithful. Don’t miss one. You’ll be surprised at how quickly the children look forward to it. And, you’ll be equally surprised at how willingly they release you to be a husband or wife if they know that you’ll be a mommy or daddy, too.
- Modeling Marriage: Perhaps the greatest way to prioritize marriage in your home is to model the priority of marriage. Help your children see their father as a husband…their mommy as a wife. Talk to each other as spouses in front of the children. When the kids ask you to play, let them know that you want to serve mommy or daddy first, and ask them to join you in that. If it is true that more is caught than taught, then we have a golden opportunity to teach about the priority of marriage as we model it…they will catch it more.
As we seek to prioritize marriage in our homes, we are all well served when we do it in community. Talk to others about what they do. Help hold each other accountable …encourage one another in this area. Confess known sin to each other and invite the input of other couples into your home…your family…your marriage.
