By Jonathan Doyle

This week we are celebrating God’s work in our teens. Today we’re sharing the testimony of one of our young men who was baptized on Sunday.


I was born in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, and from about one month old I lived without parents in an orphanage in Cochabamba. I was very sick in the orphanage and spent a lot of time in the hospital alone following surgery on my right lung. I was in and out of the hospital many times until I was adopted by my parents at three and one half years old. In the world outside the orphanage, everything was new and scary: dogs, riding in cars, bumpy roads, hand dryers in bathrooms, even ice cream because I had never tasted anything cold before. But I loved my new family and their care and kindness to me.

My family loves the Lord and taught me about the Bible and God’s love for me through Jesus sacrifice on the cross. Every Sunday my family took me to church and I was involved in Children’s Ministry. When I was around eleven years old I had a conversation with my dad that changed my life. He showed me that I was walking in darkness by hiding my sin, but that when I confess my sins I step into the light and open my heart to God’s saving work. That same year while I was attending Youth Camp with my family (I wasn’t a camper yet!), God touched me during one of the messages and I responded during the ministry time. I was crying, and in seeing the depth of my sin I was beginning to understand the fullness of what God had done for me.

I don’t remember exactly when I became a Christian, but I know that Jesus took my place on the cross and died for me that I might live for him. When I was little I didn’t have a father. Now I have two fathers and two homes. I have an earthly father and home, and I have a heavenly father and an eternal home.

Now when I go to church I love to worship and pray and listen to God’s word preached. I am noticing an increased conviction about sin in my life and an increased love for God. I am more determined to meet with God each day. I still battle fear and doubt sometimes, but I use scripture to focus my heart and mind on the Truth. My relationship with my little sister is improving because I get convicted when I tease her or am mean to her and am able to ask for her forgiveness. I still have trouble with my lungs, but God is helping me to trust him for my life and future. I want to spread the Gospel and serve God every day of my life.

By Uchenna Osegbu

This week we are celebrating God’s work in our teens.  Today we’re sharing the testimony of one of our young women who was baptized on Sunday.

Like most people in the church, I was born in a Christian home.  My mom, who is the godliest person I have ever known, stressed how important God was and how much I and my siblings needed him in our lives.  However, as I got older, God became less and less important to me.  It seemed like Christianity was only for adults, and I thought that my childhood was the time to have fun and do whatever I wanted, regardless of the spiritual consequences.  In my mind, God would only restrain me and ruin my fun, and I didn’t want that.  God was in no way a part of my life (unless I wanted something), and, at the time, that was okay with me.

Not only did I not know of God and His everlasting mercies, I didn’t want to know.  I never prayed, my Bible went untouched, and I tried to avoid everything and everyone having to do with the church at all costs.  I thought that my worldly “friends” were all that I needed and that if God really loved me, He would let me have my fun and live for me, and then just forgive me later for whatever I did wrong.  I thought that I was invincible and that I didn’t need God; little did I know that God had a plan call “Operation Takeover” for my life.

As freshman year at a new school began, so did one of the hardest years of my life.  I knew that I wasn’t happy and that something was missing from my life, and though deep inside I knew what it was, it took me a long time to admit to myself that it was God.  When I finally did, I knew that I wanted Him in my life and I wanted to live for Him.  The problem was, I didn’t know how.  I tried over and over to let Him into my heart, but it never felt real, and soon after, I would fall back into my old routine.  I was sad and frustrated because it seemed like God was denying me and didn’t want me.  But on August 15, 2008, at Youth Camp 08, the Lord pursued me, and I truly gave my life to Him.  I haven’t gone back since.

For the past two years of my life, God has been waging war on my sinful nature.  Each and every battle was a terrible struggle between my sin and God’s love that I could have never fought on my own, but in His infinite mercy, God gave me the strength and wisdom to fight through each of the devil’s snares.  He comforted me in times of deep pain, and when my sins brought me to my knees, He lifted me up again.  Even when I strayed on my own (which happened more times than I can count), God would show me my sin and accept me back with open arms.  I have no idea where I would be if it wasn’t for the love and sacrifice of my Savior Jesus, who died on the cross and rose again to save sinners like me, but I do know that because God chose me to receive the blessing of His son’s sacrifice, I, an undeserving wretch and sinner, now have the privilege of spending my life and all of eternity with Jesus and living in His loving kindness and care.

by Andy Farmer

Watch out Blog-o-sphere – a new blog has been launched into the firmament!  Yours Truly has just started up his own blog.  Are you looking for the personal wit and wisdom of Andy Farmer unleashed from the editorial confines of the CFC blog?  Are you ready for penetrating cultural analysis?  Deep theological reflections in concise everyday language?  Sound biblical counsel for the challenges of daily life?  If that’s what you think is missing in the blogs you read….

You won’t find it on my blog. 

I’m calling it I See Dead People.  It is a blog devoted to one single purpose – to chronicle my quirky hobby of graveyard tourism.  What do I mean?  Well, I have a friend from high school whom I still keep up with and over time he developed a hobby of getting autographs and his picture taken with famous people.  He’s got a great collection.  I do kind of the same thing, except all my famous people are dead and therefore not available for autographs. 

So why this fascination with the dearly departed?  Here’s my explanation from the blog: 

Why this blog?  I like grave searching.  Why grave searching?  Maybe because I'm a history guy and this is tangible history.  Or maybe because pondering the inevitable earthly end of the great and the small helps me use my short time here to greater purpose.  You might call it odd; I call it tourism for the eternally minded.

Every month or so I'll put up a grave shot with some commentary so you can see dead people with me. 

I’m kicking off the posts with Jonathan Edwards.  But in future months you’ll have a chance to learn about: 

• The secret connection between A. W. Tozer and Lebron James.
• The well travelled head of Oliver Cromwell
• The Westminster Abbey of racehorses
• The common ground of Stonewall Jackson and a pioneer missionary to the Muslim world. 

And much, much more.  How can you resist?  And it’s only once a month – like a full moon. 

If you want to check it or subscribe just go to:  http://iseedeadpeople-andy.blogspot.com/.  Don’t try to Google to find me – I’m not that popular and you’ll run into some really weird stuff – comparatively speaking.  After all, I make a hobby of seeing dead people. 

By Rachel Gonzales

Editor’s note:  This a testimony about how the teaching in a Vital Life class unlocked some very important issues in a woman’s life.

I recently attended the Vital Life class titled Why Me?  A Pastoral Look at Suffering.  I went searching for one answer.  Not so much Why Me?, but simply Why?  Why had my newborn son died?

My husband and I learned half way through our first pregnancy (in 2000) that our baby was very sick with a very rare condition.  We endured test after test and our baby underwent two experimental fetal surgeries while still in the womb.  Finally we were told there was nothing more that could be done medically and that our son would die soon after he was born.  I carried him for another 3 months, praying for a miracle, yet trying to prepare for the worst.

Elijah was born on January 5, 2001.  He lived for one hour and 40 minutes.

The death of our son…well, it’s hard to put the experience into words.

Since that time I have known the closeness of God in ways that are indescribable.  At times, His presence through the grief has been amazing and powerful, almost physical.  I have also allowed grief to take me to lonely dark places.  I have seen my faith shatter into so many pieces that I, completely exhausted, quit trying to pick them all up and simply pretended to have faith instead.  I have looked at some of the darkest corners of grief and felt my Lord pull me to safety.  I have known His beautiful healing and restoration.  I have known the Lord’s love in ways that have left me breathless.  And I can honestly say that God has used Elijah’s death in ways that have allowed me to see His hope and goodness.

And while I know truth and hope for heaven, the question of Why has never been satisfied in my heart.  I have been asking God Why for a long time.  At times I have begged and implored Him to share with me, as a mom grieving over the unthinkable.  At times I have downright demanded He answer me, practically stamping my feet like a young child.  I have wondered at the possible ways God would use Elijah and his story for His glory and been hopeful.  I have been troubled at the dark possibilities of why God allowed Elijah’s life on earth to be so short and seemingly irrelevant.  I have considered that ultimately I probably can’t understand it all anyway, but I’ve still wanted God to try to explain it all to me.  I have always lived thinking that knowing Why would somehow make losing Elijah bearable.  I simply want the death of my infant son to make sense.  I came to the class hoping for the answer I’ve been waiting for, longing for, and searching for.

And God met me.

The first two classes were led by Joseph Stigora.  I thought the first class was great.  It was compassionately taught and biblically pointed to the expectation of suffering while in the world.  I left that class realizing that I was probably not going to get the specific answer I was longing for.  But I came back again the next week.

Joseph’s 2nd lesson outlined suffering as Christians and our Lord’s promises about suffering.  I left that class a bit refreshed and later reflected on the kindness of our Lord to include all this information about suffering in His Word.  I thought I was fairly well acquainted with scripture about suffering, but had never seen the fact that God had said so much in His Word as evidence of His kindness and care.

The final class, led by Rob Flood, was a look at Job.  To be honest, I have often been troubled by this book and some of the things in it.  There are two truths God revealed to me during this teaching.  One is that I would probably not be satisfied with God’s reasons even if He made it all clear and understandable to me.  The answer to one question would lead to another.  I realized that I would probably even suggest other ways God could have accomplished His purposes.  I was also struck by the realization that Job never knew why God had allowed the circumstances of his life, yet he trusted.  I realized that a lack of trust was at the heart of my question.  That realization led me to repentance and God lavished me with freedom.

I shared with my community group last week about this big revelation and that it felt like a weight had been lifted.  My sweet prophetic friend told me that she saw me being released from heavy shackles.  Yes, that is exactly what it was like.

Thank you, sweet Lord, for your beautiful patience.  Thank you for revealing this truth to me and for your forgiveness.  Thank you for growing my trust.  You are forever faithful.  Lord, thank you also for the ministry of the word through classes like Vital Life, where we can encounter life changing truth and learn to live it out in a community of friends.

If you have never experienced the applied truth in Vital Life the next Vital Life will take place from nine to noon on Saturday April 10.

Editor’s Note:  This is a blog from Janis Shank, wife of Sovereign Grace pastor Steve Shank.  It’s a wonderful introduction to an unsung hero of the faith. 

 

By Janis Shank

I love biographies!  There is something powerful about reading the entirety of a person’s life journey that inspires faith toward God while I am still living mine.  Most recently, I have been deeply affected by the life of John Calvin, who was born 500 years ago July 10.  Many worldwide tributes devoted to his remembrance and the impact he made on church history are occurring this year.  John Piper explains how we honor God through appreciating Calvin in particular:

"I am eager for people to know Calvin...because he took the Bible so seriously, and because what he saw on every page was the majesty of God and the glory of Christ.  Calvin continues to inspire me because of his relentless focus on the greatness of God....

In the end, Calvin’s manifold ways of inspiring us have the effect they do century after century because he saw the gospel so clearly and made Christ so central....

If Jesus Christ, in all his majesty and excellence, is kept in clear view, the church will be kept from many errors.  Therefore, Calvin continues to inspire and serve the church five hundred years after his birth....  " (Taken from Desiring God blog)

We thought we would honor John Calvin indirectly by taking a peek at his dear wife, Idelette.  She, like us, was married to a pastor, called to be a helper to a man devoted to the service of God and His people.  What can we learn from this “older woman” of the faith?

Idelette lived from 1510 to 1549.  We are introduced to her when she and her first husband converted to the Reformed faith from being Anabaptist, and along with their two children joined John Calvin’s church in Strasbourg, Germany.  In the spring of 1540 Idelette’s husband died of the plague.  Surprisingly, by August 6 of the same year, she married John Calvin, the pastor who conducted her husband’s funeral.  Calvin’s ideal in a wife is revealed in his words to a friend: “But always keep in mind what I seek to find in her; for I am none of those insane lovers who embrace also the vices of those with whom they are in love, where they are smitten at first sight with a fine figure.  This only is the beauty which allures me, if she is chaste, if not too fussy or fastidious, if economical, if patient, if there is hope that she will be interested about my health.”  John found this ideal in Idelette as their brief and devoted union proved.

After six months of marriage, John and Idelette moved to Geneva, Switzerland where her husband assumed his new duties serving the Savior whom he so deeply loved.  They kept a lively home, offering hospitality to many and it was said of Idelette, “Your hospitality in the name of Christ is not unknown to anybody in Europe.”  She certainly assisted her husband’s ministry by keeping an open heart and an open home, often helping the poor and devoting herself to deeds of charity.

During the next few years Idelette had two miscarriages and gave birth to precious son, Jacques, who lived only two weeks.  Deeply weakened and ill from his birth, she took comfort in God and in the words of her husband, “The Lord has certainly inflicted a severe and bitter wound in the death of our infant son.  But He is Himself a father, and knows what is good for his children.”

Their marriage didn’t last long by today’s standards, and in 1549, after only nine years, Idelette finally succumbed to the illness that plagued her most of her life.  John was at her bedside when she died and heard her triumphantly exclaim, "O glorious resurrection!  O God of Abraham and of all our fathers, the believers of all the ages have trusted on Thee and none of them have hoped in vain.  And now I fix my hope on Thee.”  She certainly was a true companion to her husband and shared his deep conviction in the sovereign love and grace of God.  Her very last words proclaim God’s greatness and her trust in Him!

John Calvin’s grief was profound, and his words reveal the depth of his love for his wife, “I have been bereaved of the best companion of my life, who, if our lot had been harsher, would have been not only the willing sharer of exile and poverty, but even of death.  While she lived she was the faithful helper of my ministry.  From her I never experienced the slightest hindrance.”

What can we learn from Idelette’s brief journey while we are still living ours?  Here are a few take-a-ways for our encouragement.

1. She loved the Savior and served Him by loving her husband, children and God’s people entrusted to their care, often through hospitality and deeds of love.  She devoted herself to the advancement of the gospel in her lifetime.  We have the same calling and privilege.

2. She endured loss and physical suffering by trusting in the sovereignty of God.  Though we live in an age of modern medicine and many modern conveniences, we too suffer in various ways and can find our comfort in the same Sovereign Love.

3. She was a “faithful helper” of her husband’s ministry and “the best companion” of his life.  There is something so inspiring about this simple yet profound commendation by her husband.  By God’s grace, I can do this day by day; faithfully helping and seeking to be my husband’s best companion. 

4. She maintained a robust hope in God, even at her death.  By God’s grace, may we be ever growing stronger in this hope, now in life and all the way to our dying breath.

As you enter a new week, I pray you are inspired and encouraged by this ancient pastor’s wife to trust and serve our Savior.  May God give us grace to live in such a gospel advancing way as to leave a legacy for those who will follow after us, just like our friend Idelette.

By Andy Farmer

One thing that happens in the blog world is the emergence of certain blog trails, where an issue gets picked up and added to through several sources.  I came across one of these trails a couple of days ago involving television journalist Britt Hume. 

I picked up the scent on Josh Harris’ blog, where he focused on some amazing comments made by Hume on his Christian Faith.

Here’s Hume on being a Christian,

Christianity is uniquely and especially about redemption and forgiveness.  That is what the cornerstone of what the faith is about.  Now other faiths aren't hostile to the idea, but think of what the message of Christ and Christianity is.  It is that the God of the universe sent His only begotten Son, who died a hideous death on the cross, to atone for all of our sins.  And we are thereby offered through that act a new covenant in which we are offered forgiveness and redemption on a continuing basis in return for our faith in God and our continuing efforts to live the Christian life.  That is a unique doctrine.

Pretty amazing stuff.  But Josh’s blog also led me to Justin Taylor’s site where he comments on an interview Britt did with Bill O’Reilly where he comments on things he said regarding Tiger Woods and his need for Christ.  You can check that out here.

Taylor’s blog gives more background on this well known figure who retired from the top of his profession so that he could better serve the Lord in his family and in community. 

Let’s pray for men like Britt Hume who, though he is no longer reporting from the White House, are seeking to make good use of the public platform God has given them in our culture. 

By Andy Farmer

 

When I was growing up life was simple.  There were really only four college bowl games that really mattered.  The Orange Bowl, the Cotton Bowl, the Sugar Bowl and the Rose Bowl.  We didn’t care about the national championship – mythical, BCS or otherwise.  We just wanted New Years day to have great football. 

 

Now, of course, we have a gazillion irrelevant bowl games with names advertisement names.  That doesn’t mean that its bad football.  In fact, each year some of the best games happen in these little bowls, even if all we see is highlights on Sportscenter.  But for me, its too much football, to along with the two much sugar, too much fat, too much couch and clicker time that is part of the holiday ritual.

 

In preparation for the bowl glut, I thought it might be good to pass along a short video that can help bring some perspective.  This is an ESPN piece on a little boy who loves sports.  And for once, sports actually return the favor.  In the world of biblical faith we call this a story of common grace – evidence that God is at work in mercy even where he isn’t being glorified.

 

Enjoy – and Happy New Year 

 

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4695418

By Jared Mellinger

From his first year in Dundee, one of Robert Murray M’Cheyne’s greatest desires was for revival.  By revival, he meant a heightening of normal Christianity, in which theology would catch fire and the Spirit of God would fall upon his people in a unique season of refreshing, empowering, and fruitfulness.  In revival, Christ was preached and the reality of the gospel was pressed upon the hearts of men and women in a unique way.  I would love to see a revival in our day, in Covenant Fellowship, and I believe it is something we should all be desiring and praying for.     

 

M’Cheyne started a weekly prayer meeting shortly after becoming a pastor.  He would first teach on something related to the outpouring of the Spirit, and then lead the congregation in a time of prayer, and then close the meetings by reading about the history of revivals. 

 

Three years into his pastorate, he went on a seven month trip.  While he was gone, God answered his prayers and revival broke out in Dundee and throughout Scotland.  There was one day where M’Cheyne’s friend, W.C. Burns, who was filling the pulpit at St. Peters, was preaching and, “the whole of the vast assembly were overpowered.  The Holy Spirit seemed to come down as a rushing mighty wind, and to fill the place.  Very many were that day struck to the heart…  The power of God seemed to descend, and all were bathed in tears…It was like a pent-up flood breaking forth; tears were streaming from the eyes of many, and some fell on the ground groaning, and weeping, and crying for mercy. Onward from that evening, meetings were help every day for many weeks; and the extraordinary nature of the work justified and called for extraordinary services.  The whole town was moved.”

 

Those were the reports that were reaching M’Cheyne while he was traveling.  How did he respond to these reports?  With bitterness and jealousy that he wasn’t at the center of this revival?  No: “They were such as made his heart rejoice.  He had no envy at another instrument having been so honored in the place where he himself had labored with many tears and temptations.  In true Christian magnanimity, he rejoiced that the work of the Lord was done, by whatever hand.”

 

As he returned, the revival continued for years to come. 

 

So much more could be said about M’Cheyne’s life and ministry.  God continued to use this single man who gave his life to holiness: a man who redeemed the time, pursued humility, treasured the Word, and longed for revival.  May his life spur us on to the same. 

By Jared Mellinger

One of the great lessons we learn from the life of Robert Murray M’Cheyne is the importance of redeeming the time.  He is a man who truly desired to spend every day “Making the best use of the time” (Eph 5:16).

M’Cheyne lived with an awareness that life would not last forever.  On his 21st birthday, he mentioned in his journal that a friend had died at the age of 31, and then M’Cheyne reflected on the question of how long he himself would live.  In his culture, he had the experience of being surrounded with people who frequently became ill and passed away.  This served as a reminder of the brevity of life and the importance of eternal things.  When others died, he seized it as an opportunity to cultivate an eternal perspective on life. 

We never know how long we are going to live.  M’Cheyne didn’t know he was only going to live to the age of 29.  But had he known this, I don’t think he would have lived any differently.  He knew that a long life is not guaranteed, and it changed the way he lived.  It is doubtful that he would have accomplished as much good as he did during his short life apart from this wise perspective on life and death.      

One of the practices that helped M’Cheyne redeem the time was keeping a journal.  His journal reflected short but faithful entries.  He believed this played an important role in his spiritual health because “it ensures sober reflection on the events of the day as seen in God’s eye”.  It was a means of accountability, and it served him well. 

His biographer, Andrew Bonar, tells us that “after spending an evening too lightly,” M’Cheyne wrote the following in his journal: “My heart must break off from all these things.  What right have I to steal and abuse my Master’s time?  ‘Redeem it,’ he is crying to me”.  And on a different occasion he wrote: “Little done, and as little suffered.  Awfully important question—Am I redeeming the time?”  He believed that time itself was something entrusted to him by God.  We are stewards of time, and time is a precious gift from God that must not be squandered.  This doesn’t mean we don’t know how to relax, have fun, and enjoy vacations.  It simply means we live with an awareness that we will answer to God for our use of our time, and desire to please our Heavenly Father in all we do.   

He also redeemed the time by using all the resources available to him to grow in godliness: not only journaling, but also confessing sin, seeking out the counsel of his friends, living his life in community, studying passages of Scripture that were relevant to his particular struggles, and reading the biographies of men whose lives challenged him to grow.

M’Cheyne’s redeeming of the time resulted in much study of God’s word, much reading of good books, much evangelism, much care for the poor, much fellowship, and much prayer.  His life teaches us to make the best use of the time we have: to view time itself as a valuable gift from a generous Father, and to live with an awareness that our lives in this world will not last forever.  As those redeemed by Christ to receive adoption as children of God, we make it our aim to please him every moment of every day. 

Redeem the time!

By Jared Mellinger

Humility is the area where I have most greatly benefited from the example of Robert Murray M’Cheyne.  M’Cheyne valued humility above all else, because he believed nothing brings more honor to Christ.  Again and again, at each point in M’Cheyne’s life, he walked the humble path. 

While he was in Divinity School praying through his desire for pastoral ministry, and weighing whether or not he was called, he wrote in his diary, “What should I fear?  If God [sees fit] to put me into the ministry, who shall keep me back?  If [I’m not fit], why should I be thrust forward?”  And once in ministry, his pursuit of humility showed itself in that he did not seek to gain a name for himself.  His close friend and biographer, Andrew Bonar, wrote the following of M’Cheyne: “Although naturally ambitious, grace so wrought in him, that he never sought to bring himself into view; and most cheerfully would he observe and take notice of the graces and gifts of others.” I need to remember that humility cheerfully takes notice of the gifts and graces of others. 

According to M’Cheyne, “the lust of praise” was his life-long besetting sin.  As a pastor and as a preacher, he faced a very real temptation to win the approval of others, to try to present himself in such a way that he attracted people to himself.  He said, “A man cannot be a faithful minister, until he preaches Christ for Christ’s sake—until he gives up striving to attract people to himself, and seeks only to attract them to Christ.  Lord, give me this!”

He considered himself a proud man, who, by the grace of God, was pursuing humility.  At the age of 19, he wrote a typical journal entry expressing his longing for humility: “Sept 9, 1832 – Oh for true, unfeigned humility!  I know I have cause to be humble; and yet I do not know one half of that cause.  I know I am proud; and yet I do not know the half of that pride.”  That is a sentence worth meditating on!  It should be that we are pursuing humility in a similar fashion. 

M’Cheyne lived with an ongoing, ever-increasing awareness of his own sinfulness.  Confession of sin was a regular practice for him.  Here is a journal entry as a 20 year old: “August 13, 1833 – Clear conviction of sin is the only true origin of dependence on another’s righteousness, and, therefore, (strange to say!)  of the Christian’s peace of mind and cheerfulness.”  There was a direct correspondence between his awareness of sin and his awareness of grace.  The more you are convicted of sin, the more you will marvel at the Savior!  

Let’s be like M’Cheyne and devote ourselves to the pursuit of humility.  Let’s celebrate the gifts of those around us, seek to attract people to Christ, and prayerfully cultivate an ongoing and ever-increasing awareness of our sin.  Let us be quick to confess our sin and receive the grace of God.  Our peace of mind and cheerfulness depend upon it!    

By Jared Mellinger

 

Last week, I wrote about the singular focus of Paul.  This week, I want to reflect on the life of another man who had one great passion in his life.  His life has had a great affect on me personally, and on many Christians over the past 150 years.  My hope is that introducing you to this man will help spur you on to pursue a life of passion for God.  Never underestimate the power of biography.

 

Robert Murray M’Cheyne was a young Scottish Presbyterian pastor who lived in the 1800’s and died in 1843 at the age of 29.  He pastored a church named St. Peter’s Church of Scotland, in the town of Dundee, from 1836 until his death, in 1843.    

 

Born in Edinburgh on May 21, 1813, he was the youngest of four children, and had two brothers and one sister.  He was tall and energetic, eloquent, intelligent, and academically gifted.  He enjoyed drawing, singing and writing poems.  He loved the outdoors, walked often, and took in the “blue water, brown fields, and green firs” of the Scottish countryside.

 

When Robert was 18 his older brother, David, passed away.  Robert would always look back on that day, July 8, 1831, as the day he came to know Christ.  One year after David died, M’Cheyne wrote in his journal, “On this morning last year came the first overwhelming blow to my worldliness.”  Death has a remarkable way of opening blind eyes to the weight of eternity.

 

Four months after his conversion M’Cheyne enrolled as a divinity student at Edinburgh University.  During his time at the university, M’Cheyne read a lot about the life of Jonathan Edwards and was stirred by his biography.  “How feeble does my spark of Christianity appear beside such a sun?  But even his was a borrowed light, and the same source is still open to enlighten me.”

 

At the age of 23, this gifted preacher was ordained at St. Peters, a church of 1,100 people.  This was his conviction: “It is not great talents God blesses so much as great likeness to Jesus.  A holy minister is an awful weapon in the hand of God.”  M’Cheyne stepped into ministry as a man who was passionate about living a life that demonstrated “great likeness to Jesus”. 

 

M’Cheyne frequently struggled with illness due to a heart condition.  After three years in pastoral ministry at St. Peters he went on a missionary trip for seven months, with the hope that a warmer climate would improve his health.  Toward the end of his trip, he received word of a revival that was breaking out in Dundee, at St. Peter’s.  The revival came under the preaching of W.C. Burns, the man covering M’Cheyne’s pulpit while he traveled. 

 

M’Cheyne returned to St. Peters, where he ministered for four more years before passing away at the age of 29.  He died, having never married, on March 25, 1843, after only seven years of pastoral ministry.

 

Reading about the life of Jonathan Edward’s led M’Cheyne to pursue the source of Edwards’ passionate Christianity.  Over the next four weeks, I want to examine M’Cheyne’s eternal perspective, humility, hunger for the Word, and desire for revival.  Our spark of Christianity may appear small, but the same Source is still open to enlighten us.

By Jacob Young

 

No, it’s not the school yard bully who beat me up today…it was a 3mm kidney stone.  And boy, it whooped me.  It took me to the doctor’s office, the ER, and my home but not before taking me through various pain medications that requires an IV.  Like I said, that 3mm bully whooped me good.

 

As I look back, though, there were some lessons that God taught me that you might find helpful, too.  So, here are a few thoughts on my experience:

 

1. There’s Grace in Kidney Stones: God has been so good to give me these kidney stones. No doubt, they’re painful. Through it, I’ve seen so many vast caverns of grace he has put in my life. I’ve seen His glory radiating in my heart and life – and my wife’s as well in ways that are only seen when the heat of pain is intensified.
   
   
2. Praying God’s Word Helps Kidney Stones: Through the pain, I found my life being conformed around God more than I had expected. Though it was extremely painful, I found myself praying God’s Word to Him, praying His character to Him. It wasn’t like I was suddenly filled with joy at that moment but I was preaching a universe-changing message to myself in a moment of dire pain; I was preaching the Gospel.
   
   
3. God’s Timing is Perfect with Kidney Stones: God was good to prevent this stone from coming earlier. I had my first kidney stone two weeks ago to the day, just two days before we were about to leave on (essentially) two weeks of vacation. Thankfully it passed the morning we were leaving, and while I had a few bouts with the second during those two weeks, it never was debilitating. I remember feeling the second one coming on about half way through the trip when we’d come home for a couple days before our second leg of the vacation. I bent down, and I quietly asked my Father to take it away. I felt his nearness, and went to bed knowing that he’d heard me either way. He didn’t take it away, but he did push it aside until the best time for me. What grace!
   
   
4. God Works in My Weakness through Kidney Stones:  As the pain increased, I became increasingly aware of my physical and emotional weakness. And, in my weakness,  His strength is revealed. How often do I actually glory in my weakness? I’m a prideful man, so I like being strong. But I’m seeing how my weakness actually is God’s preferred instrument to display His might.  This body is under a curse as with the rest of creation.  We see this in Romans 8:19-23.  But the end of Romans 8 is also true: nothing can separate us from the love of Jesus Christ for us (v. 35), and that all things work for our good (v.28).
   
   
5. This Pain is Nothing Compared to Eternal Torment: It also gave me a taste for what Christ saved me from: Hell and God’s wrath. The pain was bad, but not damnation.  However, I caught a faint glimpse of the horrors of Hell through the temporary anguish of body that only faintly can reflect the wrath of God pressing in on a soul.  Knowing the pain I felt, how grateful I am to know that the greatest physical torment was suffered on my behalf.

I pray that God presses all these things on my mind to remember.  And even though you may not be sent to the school of kidney stones, I pray He presses them into your mind as well.  I love God more now – I find myself loving the things of the world less. Oh God, make it last and make it spread.  And if a 3mm bully ever visits your world, know that it is also a little but powerful messenger from your loving heavenly Father. 

Last week the American League All Stars beat the National League All Stars in an epic, fifteen inning marathon All Star game. But that wasn’t the only epic event of the All Star week; played at historic Yankee Stadium in the last year of its existence. In the Home Run Derby the previous day a remarkable thing happened. Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers slugged an astounding 28 home runs in the first round of the derby – more than all the other competitors combined!

Josh Hamilton? Who is this guy? And where did he come from. Hamilton is a former Number One ‘can’t miss’ prospect who fell into serious and nearly fatal drug addiction which cost him his career, his family, and everything he valued in life. But about three years ago, his life was arrested by the only one who could save him – Jesus Christ. Over the next two years, Josh Hamilton began a long road back to health, to his family, and eventually to the game of baseball. Against all odds, he became a 26 year old Cincinnati Reds rookie last year and rediscovered both the love of the game and the skill that had been lost to drugs. After a respectable rookie year he was traded to the Texas Rangers during the offseason. All he has done with Texas is lead the Major Leagues in RBI’s so far this season (98 in 100 games!) and play in the All Star Game.

In July 2007 ESPN.com let Josh Hamilton tell his story when he was still basking in the initial joy of baseball redemption. Considering all that has happened since that time, it is an even more remarkable story today. It’s worth it to read the entire piece, but here are some excerpts.

I have a mission now. My mission is to be the ray of hope, the guy who stands out there on that beautiful field and owns up to his mistakes and lets people know it's never completely hopeless, no matter how bad it seems at the time. I have a platform and a message, and now I go to bed at night, sober and happy, praying I can be a good messenger.

I get a lot of abuse in visiting cities, but it only bothers me when people are vulgar around kids. The rest I can handle. Some of it is even funny. In St. Louis, I was standing in right field when a fan yelled, "My name is Josh Hamilton, and I'm a drug addict!” I turned around and looked at him with my palms raised to the sky. "Tell me something I don't know, dude," I said. The whole section started laughing and cheering, and the heckler turned to them and said, "Did you hear that? He's my new favorite player.” They cheered me from that point on.

But there is one story that sticks with me, so much so that I think of it every day. I was driving out of the players' parking lot at Great American Ball Park after a game in May, with Katie and our two girls. There's always a group of fans standing at the curb, hoping to get autographs, and I stop to sign as many as I can.

And on this particular night, a little boy of about 9 or 10, wearing a Reds cap, handed me a pen and something to sign. Nothing unusual there, but as I was writing the boy said, "Josh, you're my savior."

This stopped me. I looked at him and said, "Well, thank you. Do you know who my savior is?"

He thought for a minute. I could see the gears turning. Finally, he smiled and blurted out, "Jesus Christ.” He said it like he'd just come up with the answer to a test. "That's exactly right," I said.

You see, I may not know how I got here from there, but every day I get a better understanding of why.

The article is aptly titled “I’m Proof that Hope is Never Lost.” Aren’t we all! If you’d like to read the whole thing, go here.

By Andy Farmer

This is a bit of a longer blog than we typically run, but it is worth the read. It’s a real life story from Mark Altrogge, on his blog the blazing center

February 29th, 2008 by Mark Altrogge

We’d lost touch with each other over the years.

Gerry had one of the first Beatle haircuts in town and was in “The Legends.” I was in a rival band, “The Signets.” Both were blue-eyed soul bands. The Legends once played a 2-chord instrumental for 3 hours straight on a friend’s front porch. That had to be a Guinness record – In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, the longest song known to man, was only 17 minutes long and they had gone 3 hours! I think that qualifies for canonization. Gerry had one of the nicest guitars of anyone I knew, a blonde Epiphone Casino like John Lennon’s. We were friends in college, drinking beer together and wasting time in the Student Union drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes. After college, my life went downhill until Jesus apprehended me. Gerry’s life took a downward turn as well, and he developed agoraphobia. He would have a panic attack every time he’d attempt to leave town. So from sometime in the 70’s he became a prisoner of our town. He never left again.

Along the way, Gerry and I both got married, had children, and our lives took different directions. A few years later I heard that he got divorced.

Fast forward 25+ years. One day I see him from a distance in Wal-mart. The Lord prompts me to give him a call. I tell him I’d seen him and wondered if he’d like to get together for coffee. He’s glad to hear from me and anxious to hook up. So we meet at Starbucks a couple days later, two fifty-something guys getting reacquainted after being out of touch for far too long.

I start off by telling Gerry my favorite memory of him. It was the time a friend and I were supposed to meet him at a campus apartment, but we show up an hour late. When we come in, Gerry is sitting at the kitchen table, studying a beer bottle. He looks up at us, takes a drag on his Kool filter and says, “This is the famous Budweiser beer, brewed with the finest hops and malts….” While waiting for us, he has memorized the entire label on a bottle of Bud. That snapshot pretty much captures our lives back then.

Gerry tells me he has cancer. I wouldn’t know it by looking at him, but he tells me that 2 years ago the doctors gave him 2 years after discovering a large tumor in his intestines. He tells me he’s been reading the Bible for a year, which leads to talking about Jesus and his death as a substitute for us. God does something significant that day in our lives. We reestablish our friendship.

For the next year, Gerry and I get together regularly. He comes to our church and some other former friends renew their relationship with him. He meets new friends. Frank becomes a faithful Bible study partner, as do Dennis and Tim. Each week they call Gerry and talk about a Bible passage. Every Sunday Gerry comes to our church and stands in the back listening to me preach – he’s pretty sick - often in so much pain he can’t sit, but he usually makes it through the message before he has to go home and back to bed.

We go out to lunch once a week – I get the salad bar and load up my plate, but all he can eat is a few fries with gravy. He often treats me. Week after week, we talk of Jesus, as Gerry grows more thin and frail. He tells me that he and Frank are reading 1 John and that Jesus has convicted him that he needs to love people. He tells me that for years he has hated many people but now he has decided to forgive everyone who has ever wronged him. He wants to devote his life to Jesus, doing all he can to please him for the rest of his days. He wants to do as much good to as many people as he can.

In these days of suffering, God gives Gerry a gift – painting pictures. He paints every day. Landscapes, boats and Mediterranean seaport scenes. And he gives his paintings away. One hangs in my office.

Fast forward to this past Wednesday evening. I call and his dad answers. “How is your son?” I ask. “We’re in a death watch. Come over and see Gerry.” I get there and see him, lying in the special bed they’d set up for him in the family room. Gerry’s eyes are open, his breathing is shallow, a “death rattle”. I don’t know if he can hear me, but I hold his hand and tell him Jesus loves him, and thank him for being such a good friend. I tell him that nothing can separate him from the love of God in Christ Jesus, and pray for him.

Gerry’s dad and mom are there, grieving, watching their son’s last moments. Then his mom says, “Gerry can finally leave town now.” His agoraphobia is over. He’s leaving town – for heaven. For a face to face appointment with his Savior. I tell Gerry goodbye. “I love you, Gerry. See you soon.”

Gerry left town yesterday at 1 in the morning. I can’t wait to see him again.