By Andy Farmer

I was talking recently to a pastor from another church about differences in the way our congregations are being led and built. We realized that we agreed on far more things than we were different. One difference we talked about was eschatology – the study of the final things. We differ in our understanding of how God is going to wrap up this glorious salvation project we call history. We affirm the same Gospel but we differ on the end times – so much so that we realize that we can do ministry together, but we probably couldn’t build a church together. What you believe about the end times will shape how you build the church in present times.

Historically there have been a number of different ways of understanding and applying the very challenging apocalyptic passages in the Bible. Sadly, many churches and believers have done great harm to themselves and others by taking their end times speculation well beyond what the scriptures actually teach. But within the Gospel-believing communion of faith, you can have some diversity in understanding the eschatology of the Bible. And since we are dealing with things that are to play out in the future, it is wise that we hold our own eschatology with humble hearts and minds.

As pastors, we want to avoid using eschatology as a calling card. In other words, we don’t want our church known for its views of the millennium, or what the mark of the beast really means, etc. – we want to be known for the Gospel. We also want to avoid using eschatology as a litmus test – whether we accept someone as a brother or sister in good standing based on whether they are getting ready for the Rapture or not. Eschatology should matter to us because Jesus is coming back and resolving everything that went wrong when sin entered the universe through man. That should stir our hearts to great hope and confidence. It should motivate us to reach out to the lost. And it should keep us serious and sober in a foolish world, as Peter called us.

Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God. (2Peter 3:1-12a)

If you'd like to get a recent take on how we work in this area of eschatology, Jeff Purswell gives a great brief summary of what's important in our thinking in the following post:

http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/Blog/post/The-Last-One-Jeff-Purswell-Eschatology.aspx

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 Andy Farmer

Last week in our Acts series Jared spoke on the Gospel breaking out into the Gentile world as Peter came to speak to the household of Cornelius (Acts 10-11). You can catch the message at: http://www.covfel.org/pages/page.asp?page_id=120107

One of the main points of the passage is that the Gospel moving beyond its Jewish roots resulted in a transforming moment in human history. God was making salvation available to all mankind – regardless of race, ethnicity, or social standing. The Gospel invasion into the Cornelius household is the end of prejudice. Jared defined prejudice as when we give our own preferences and perspectives authority in how we accept or reject others. For a faithful Jew like Peter to fraternize with Gentiles was defiling – to potentially accept a Gentile as a brother was an abomination.

As I listened to Jared I was thinking, ‘who is the Gentile in my world?’ Since I’m a Gentile myself I have to go farther afield than Peter to answer the question. I think of someone of another race than me – but I live and fellowship in a multiracial church so that doesn’t seem to be a big challenge in my day to day experience. And then I thought – the Gentile in my world is gay.

It is clear from Scripture that Peter had a more than passing familiarity with the Gentile, yet to him they were patently unclean. I’ve had a variety of experiences with people in the homosexual community. I have had acquaintances and co-workers who were openly gay. I had homosexual professors who served as my academic mentors in college. Tragically, I have had childhood friends and even relatives who died of AIDS contracted in the homosexual lifestyle. There are brothers and sisters of mine in the Lord who struggle with homosexual temptation. I also have been the target of accusations that I’m a bigot and a fascist because my Christian faith defines homosexual behavior as sin.

In short, I’ve had plenty of reasons to have conflicting attitudes about gay people. And those reasons come not just from life experience but from a heart that recoils against people who seem different than me in ways that unsettle me. Like Peter, it can be hard for me to see my personal gentile as a real person whom God has created in his image. At best he or she is profoundly different – there is a gulf between us where no bridge is possible. At worst my mind conjures up the radical, anti-Christian activist who seems to delight to tear down the moral institutions that matter to me most.

So homosexuals make great modern day Gentiles. But if you’re perceptive you might object and say something like, ‘the gay person is not the same as Cornelius the centurion. Cornelius was born a Gentile; homosexuality is a choice.’ Even if that’s true (and you’ll get some pretty strong responses if you put that as your Facebook status), there’s a larger point here. In Acts 10:28 Peter made a radical confession; God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean. When God declared the Gentiles ‘clean’, he wasn’t declaring them saved. He was declaring them eligible to receive the Gospel. In other words, there was no sin or state of being that set any person outside the call of grace. Whether a homosexual repents of his or her sins (rejection of Christ, not simply sexual preference and behavior) or not, we should see all men and women as worthy of our mercy and beyond the pale of our prejudice. We must never forget that somewhere, somehow, we are someone else’s Gentile.

Who is the Gentile to you? Who would you cross the street to avoid? Who would you instinctively dismiss from meaningful personal relationship? Who do you fear or reject simply because of what they are to you? Who in your mind is unclean and ineligible for the only hope for all mankind? There is a Cornelius experience out there for you – are you, like Peter, willing to go and meet it?

By Rob Flood

As a church, we can often look to those who lead and teach us and see the fruit of their ministry. We are grateful for those leaders and we are thankful to God for the fruit we enjoy in our lives. What may be less obvious but no less real is the fruit that exists in the leaders’ lives because of the ministry of those in the church. Simply put, the lives of the members of the church are stronger because of their leaders…and the lives of the leaders are stronger because of the members of the church.

This is our story at Covenant Fellowship Church. And, as a church, we had a recent display of the fruit of our church’s ministry in the lives of one of their leaders: Dave Harvey.

As you may know, Dave has recently written a book called Rescuing Ambition. In addition to expounding upon the Scriptures, Dave has included many stories of many people from our church. These examples exist because of the faith and fruit that has resulted from members of this church living out the gospel in real life.

Well, on July 28th, Dave was the featured guest on Desiring God Live: a two-hour interview broadcast through www.desiringgod.com . If you saw it, you know that God was honored and the Covenant Fellowship Church was well represented. If you missed it, you can watch it below.

Thank God for fruit in the mission…both in the members and in the leaders. Truly, what do we have that we have not received? We are thankful to God for his faithfulness. May he use this interview, this book, but primarily the witness of this church for his glory in the mission. 

By Andy Farmer

Last Thursday night Dave Harvey had the opportunity to participate in a live video chat with Scott Anderson on Desiring God Live, John Piper’s regular forum for discussion on relevant topics in the culture.  Typically this is an extended conversation with Dr. Piper himself, where he fields questions from the interview as well as responds to live twitter questions from people looking on.  Dave talked about themes around his book Rescuing Ambition. 

 

It’s great to see Dave interacting with the larger Christian community on our behalf. 

Here is the link:  http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/2580

By Chris Radano

Editor’s note: Chris is getting married in two days. This is the last blog we’ll post from him as a single man. Looking forward to what inspires him in marriage. Congratulations Chris!


March,1996, my bag was packed, the minivan loaded up, and the luggage secured amidst the bitter cold wind of the Pennsylvania winter. The only motivation to drag me out of a warm college dormitory was the anticipation of beaches, parties, and a scorching Florida sun. Yep, I was one of many college students off to Florida looking forward to the “traditional” college spring break experience. Now nearly a decade and a half removed from college, I found myself looking forward to a completely different spring break experience: a week spent in New Orleans with the college age ministry students of Covenant Fellowship Church to serve another Sovereign Grace Church, Lakeview Christian Center. For a week we would be doing servant outreach projects to the community in New Orleans, through yard work, distribution of Alpha fliers, and evangelism to the homeless. This is the kind of spring break that wouldn’t have even been in my periphery back in my younger days. The reflection of my college years led me to ponder a few things on a deeper, spiritual level.

First, it was a reminder of the change in my life orchestrated by the Holy Spirit in bringing repentance and transforming grace, and the sacrifice of Christ making this possible. This is no small reflection, and I don’t intend to downplay its significance. In fact, I am happily reminded of this change often. However, another interesting but less intuitive benefit of my reflection was how it provoked me to ponder the role of families in telling the gospel to the next generation. Perhaps, not an obvious direction, allow me to explain how I got there....

Being aware that many of the students with whom I spent the week in New Orleans in service spent their years growing up in church, fourteen years ago would probably place them in the first or second grade. I thought of how these students as children were introduced to the gospel, Bible stories in Sunday school and home, talking about Jesus, and (maybe!) even recipients of godly discipline. Regardless of whether or not they received Christ as Savior in those years, parents were faithful to their call and role in training their children in the ways of the Lord. Proverbs 22:6 reads “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Now, those same children are men and women leading worship, sharing words of encouragement, praying with passion for one another, and telling homeless people about Jesus. They are grown up, serving the Lord in ways perhaps their parents could only have hoped to imagine. To me, (and I hope to parents) this was another one of those living, breathing reminders of how God uniquely uses parents’ labor in teaching their children the gospel, to produce the fruit of selfless, God-glorifying service for the Kingdom of God.

The exercise of reminiscing on my college years started as a humorous reminder of my comparative age, but ended giving me a new appreciation of the fruit of telling the gospel to the next generation and the role of parents in accomplishing this.

By Andy Farmer

I really got into the World Cup this summer. I couldn’t see a lot of games live, but caught the condensed versions of most matches on the internet. I also had the chance to be in Europe to watch some of the knock-out round of games with Germans, Spaniards, Italians, etc. That was a blast! After the US went down, I was rooting for Ghana, who lost, then Paraguay, who lost, then Germany, who lost, then Netherlands, who lost. But it was a lot of fun nonetheless.

Now that it’s over, I’m experiencing something of a void in my life. After much self-therapy I realize what I’m experiencing is vuvuzela deprivation. I just can’t make it without the drone! Maybe you’re struggling with vuvuzela deprivation as well. If so, I’ve found some great treatment options. Daily doses of the following videos will get you through withdrawal. Trust me, there are better days ahead.

Treatment One: Vuvuzela for the sophisticated taste:


Treatment Two: Vuvuzela for the adventurous spirit





There! Don’t you feel better already?

By Andy Farmer

I spent a couple of days hiking in the mountains last week. Though as a pastor I love a life of community, there’s a part of me that really loves to get away into the open spaces. No emails or cell phones, no misunderstandings, no need to be careful what you say. No need to say anything at all. The only thing I’m listening to is the sound of the wind and crunch of rock and soil beneath my feet. My personal space expands to the horizon. Alone on the trail my mind clears and my thoughts are freed from the shackles of to dos and appointments and the buzzing noise of the hurried life. Who needs community when you have communion with nature?

But as I was walking I began to realize that the world of the great outdoors and the world of community are not as polar opposite as I might think. With the hike come the blisters – those festering irritations that threaten your progress and make each step an act of discipline. Life in community can have blisters as well. Folks can rub us the wrong way just by their very proximity to our lives – too close for comfort. And the small irritations left untended can rupture into offenses and confusion that stumble us in our tracks.

Whether you’re out on the trail or in cozy confines of community there are always pests as well. Outdoors they are the gnats and flies and other swarmy things that create a solar system around our heads. There is nothing like pausing to catch your breath only to have some flying bug go spelunking in your throat or windpipe. Life in community has enough pests to choke a rhinoceros. I’m not talking about pests in the form of people. I’m thinking of thought pests – worries about our appearance, cravings for attention or appreciation, anxiety over what people think about us. These pests aren’t content to buzz around our heads – they infest us from the inside.

Then there is the weather – winds coming out of nowhere, whipping up dust, pushing against your forward progress. Anybody who does any amount of hiking will tell you not to trust a cloudless sky. Storm clouds rumble up over the mountains changing a pleasant walk into a frigid and muddy ordeal. To spend time in nature is to welcome its challenges. And to spend time in community is to weather storms as well. In community there are oppositional winds, blowing us toward discouragement and fatigue. We can be caught up in storms of disagreement, or bogged down in the quagmire of relational conflict.

But whether we get away into the great outdoors or throw ourselves into the world of community, we do it for the beauty. We’re willing to put up with the inconveniences of our environment for the experience it brings us. For those of us who prefer our solitude in large doses, community is our place of reality and growth. For those who crave the support of community, solitude can remind us that being constantly in the crowd makes it hard to quiet our souls. The beauty of life comes in the God given rhythm of solitude and community, working together to keep us dependent on our Savior and not our environment. We hear his voice in the stillness and in the voices of those around us. We learn of him in private devotion and public worship. We see his expansiveness in creation and his intimacy in community.

As men let’s live the adventure wherever God chooses to make it happen.

By Rob Flood

 

When we are the center of someone else’s fun, it can cause us to hearken back to junior high school or our freshmen year of high school.  We are trained to dislike when others laugh at us.  But what if the “mockers” genuinely love us?  What if the fun they have with us is because of how much they love us?

 

We have to face it…there are funny things about us.  We are quirky.  And we are quirky in varying ways.  One of the healthiest things we can do is develop the skill of laughing at ourselves.  To deny that we are quirky and have eccentricities that others find funny is really to deny what is plainly obvious to everyone else.

 

Just think about those people around you.  If given the opportunity, you could celebrate their quirkiness with much laughter.  If they all have quirks, then you do, too.

 

In many ways, CJ Mahaney models what a life lived for God ought to look like.  And this area is one of his finest.  When those who love him celebrate his quirkiness, no one laughs harder at CJ than CJ.  At a recent Resolved conference, Jonathan Rourke did an extended and outstanding impression of CJ.  If you know CJ at all, you know that this guy is good.

 

While you are enjoying the impression, be sure to note who is laughing the hardest in the video.  Let’s follow in his example. (Thanks for the Girl Talk blog for bringing this to our attention.)

  

By Rob Flood

As creatures, we don’t get to determine the moments we face…just how we face them.  And so often, how we face them is not a decision we make in the moment but a response to how we’ve sown into our lives ahead of those moments.  These “divine appointments” become a stage for the training ground we’ve been on.

As men, we are called to face each moment that comes as godly men.  Some of us will be called to heroism: bravery in warfare, saving others from violence.  Some of us will be called to godliness in our manhood in far less spectacular ways: offering our umbrella during a storm or a coat in the cold weather.  Remember, we don’t get to determine the moments we face…just how we face them.

One member of our church, Adam Sacks, was presented with one of those moments recently in the airport.  While waiting on standby with many other passengers, he discovered a mother with two young children also waiting on standby.  It was quite late in the evening, yet her day began on the west coast at 6 a.m.  Needless to say, she was fatigued and those poor kids were wiped out.  Adam took some action.  The following is from an account written by his wife, Bethany:

After pleading her case with gate agents and pilots, Adam got the fuel of the Holy Spirit and thwarted the boarding process.  He boldly asked for the attention of every passenger in the area waiting to board.  He said with reckless abandon, "Norfolk passengers, may I please get your attention, this woman has been traveling since this morning and if she doesn't get on this flight she will spend the night with her children in the airport--will someone please join me and give up their seat so that she can go home and prove chivalry is not dead?!”  

Now, let’s keep some perspective.  Adam wasn’t going to change the world nor was he on some battlefield in warfare.  He wasn’t running the risk of being the main character in any Marvel comic books.  It was just a moment.  One that he decided to face with godly character.

While many men were inspired by his call to action…none stepped forward.  He was offering his seat but she needed two seats, not just one.  Making one more appeal, he proclaimed:

"Someone has to be more flexible then a woman with two small children.  Please help her!”

A voice came from the back of the crowd saying, “I will do it.”  It was a Christian woman.  Adam’s call for the men to prove chivalry was not dead was answered by a woman who had sown to her own character so she could face whatever moments Providence presented to her.

These two saints watched the other passengers board the plane while they stayed in the terminal.  But they also got to see the mother with her two children board the plane and enjoyed the sweetness of the Lord’s smile at their sacrificial, but ever so small, act of godliness.

Is there a moral to this story?  A couple.  First, no one is looking to put a cape around Adam’s neck.  What he did was admirable but what he did was small.  It was a passing moment that he decided to face with the love of Christ.  Second, and more importantly, whether we are called to the excitement of heroism or the dullness of the ordinary, we are called to face it like godly men.  Perhaps you get rear-ended in your neighborhood or you get overcharged at the mechanic.  Perhaps you get the wrong topping on your pizza or the Wawa deli counter put onions on your Italian hoagie.  Or maybe you find yourself in a devastatingly serious situation that requires real, abiding faith in Christ.  In any and all of these cases, we are called to be godly men.

We don’t get to determine the moments we face…just how we face them.  May we be men in this church that increasingly sow to our godly manhood.  Then, whatever Providence may present…we’ll be prepared to face it as men.  Men who love God.  And men who love others more than we love ourselves.  Then, for each of us, every moment can be a moment of godly masculinity.

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 Andy Farmer

I came across an article in World Magazine that caused me to pause and rejoice.  Written by Anthony Bradley, the article is entitled “Mishandling Twenty-something’s”. 

(Read the entire article here:   http://online.worldmag.com/2010/06/02/mishandling-twentysomethings/)

It was a very insightful piece about the church’s challenge with men in their 20’s who really want to do something meaningful for Christ.  Bradley decries the tendency of churches to take their spiritually robust young men and send them away to seminaries in speculative pursuit of ‘ministry’.  Why can’t the church find a place for godly young men to make a difference right where the are planted?  Bradley writes,

This trend actually reveals the sad state of an American evangelical gynocentric church: Spiritually interested young men are the exception rather than the expectation.  These men tend to stand out because their twenty something men peers are generally absent in most churches and many of the others present are going through religious motions, attending because of parental legalism, or because of girlfriend or wife pressure.

On one level I can identify with this article – so many of the guys I met in seminary seemed to be there because they didn’t seem to know where to take their zeal besides full time ministry.  But on another, far more profound sense I couldn’t relate.  As I look around our church I see a legacy of young men who have chosen to press their passion into our church for over two decades.  I witnessed the impact of several of them last Friday night in the Reilly/Toe the Pacific concert – godly and gifted men using their gifts to edify the church.  I see it in the Fight guys – young college men studying and applying theology together and inviting high school guys to join in.  I see it in our two softball teams – young men competing for fun and bragging rights, but also reaching out to men of all ages through sports.  I see it in Grow, in Invest, in the Am I Called group, in the preaching lab.  All around us men are making a difference in service and example.  What’s more, our church is filled with men who are leaving their twenties’s, and even thirties, but who are no less serious or fruitful than they were in their younger years, even though now they are raising families and building careers. 

One of the things I’ve been most grateful for over the years is that this church has been a place where serious young men of God could find fellowship and opportunity to make a real difference.  That’s what was offered to me as a 26 year old man a quarter century ago, and that’s what a young brother can find today. 

Gynocentric church?  Not hardly!

By Al Everett

Editor’s Note:  This post by Al is longer than we usually blog, but in the way he unpacks the way God has dealt with him over the years I thought it would speak to a lot of guys.  For those of you who are confused in your present situation, let Al’s repeated discoveries of grace in God’s dealing encourage your faith!

I’ll never cease to be amazed at the countless ways my flesh finds to sidestep or overthrow the gospel in my life.  At least it tries to.  The Lord is faithful to regularly reveal these pockets of rebellion and has always given me grace to reorient my heart to the gospel.

I think I was probably saved when I was a child, maybe in middle school.  I’m still not actually sure; partly because since then, I’ve had several spiritual breakthroughs so life changing that they left me wondering if I was ever really a Christian before. 

One came as a young adult.  The young woman whom I was to marry suddenly called off the wedding and the relationship and gave no clear reason.  Turned out the reason married her himself just a few months later.  Devastated and bitterly angry, I spent three years in spiritual depression wondering who I was and how God could have allowed this.  It was a momentous struggle but God was faithful, not letting me go.  When the smoke had cleared the Lord had shaken me deeply, torn down strengths and assumptions and reoriented my life to serve him more single-mindedly.  Though I had been saved for ten years or so, for the first time, I began living my life to serve God alone.

Years later a less painful, yet no less reorienting revelation took control of my life.  By now I was married and raising three boys.  I was an active member and deacon of a local church and diligently serving God in as many activities as I could.  When two of my closest friends (and fellow leaders) took opposing sides of a doctrinal issue related to Christian obedience to the Old Testament law, my life would change again.  One felt it necessary to publically advocate his position in the church.  This led others, including my other friend, to publicly oppose him.  Coached by both of my more scholarly friends to adopt their position and oppose the other friend, I became confused and desperate to come down on the right side of this issue on my own.  I took to careful study of the Word and particularly, the purpose and place of the Law in the life a Christian.  Months later I emerged, convinced that everything I had been taught and believed about the Law and Gospel was upside down.  My study had revealed that my life was bound up, not in trusting Christ’s blood, but in keeping God’s Law, so much so that I found myself asking the question, “If I’m not meant to please God by keeping His law, than how am I to please God?”  The Lord answered me with Romans 7:6, “…we serve in the new way of the Spirit not in the old way of the written code.”  Though I had been saved for over twenty years, for the very first time, I came to understand the basic teachings of the Gospel and how the Holy Spirit of God worked on my behalf to produce obedience from the heart.

Recently I had another such reorientation.  It would bring many of my failures of faith into clear perspective.  After many months of very difficult trial, I found myself worn down and finding it difficult to maintain patience with people.  I was given a book, The Prodigal God, by Tim Keller.  The book is about the Prodigal Son’s elder brother, that brother’s rebellion against the grace his father extended to the Prodigal and, in more subtle ways, that elder brother’s rebellion against the father’s grace in his own life.  I read the book with little awareness of any need in my heart.  I actually got most of the way through it with no effect at all in my heart.  My wife picked up the book as well.  Not deceived in the least by my flesh, she immediately saw me throughout its pages.  She began to urge me to consider how much like this elder brother I have been.  I dismissed her.  After all, I had studied the Prodigal Son story.  I knew better than anyone this story was about the older son not the younger.  I knew it applied directly to the self-righteous Pharisees not the “sinners” they so despised.  I knew about Romans 7:6 and had studied the Gospel and how to apply it for years.  I had taught it to my family and friends and knew very well the trap of religiosity.  I knew how to preach the Gospel to myself and did so regularly, everyday.  No.  The “elder brother” was a religious person who depended on his religion, not the gospel, for his sense of right standing before God.  That was not me.

Wisely, my wife continued to pursue the issue.  As I said earlier, God does work in my life and since he often uses my wife, I decided drawing her out might be best.  However, another conversation brought no further conviction on the issue, but desiring to remain humble, I told my wife I would seek the Lord on the issue.

The Lord was quick to give many examples in my day-to-day life.  I was angry when people didn’t do what I wanted them to do, or when they didn’t seem to respond to my advice our counsel.  Angry outbursts and the quiet sins of impatience, intolerance, bitterness, rage, and gossip began to emerge in my life.  All of this against basically good people, people I loved yet people who failed to meet expectations – sometimes God’s but usually my own.  I realized this anger permeated my life.  It was the reason I woke up angry every morning, why I struggled to find joy in loving friends and family, and why I could always find the cloud in every silver lining.  

And worst, in spite of seeing all this, there remained a stubborn refusal to see myself as needing grace.  I was special after all, a chosen one, somehow seeing myself as being of a class set apart.  I had always found obedience to God’s laws and ways easy.  I did right because I loved doing right.  I lived by the rules.  I remained faithful to him.  “All these years I have slaved for you but did you ever have a party for me?”  

Suddenly it was clear.  I was the elder brother.  I was a rebel against grace.  But even when I sought to confess these things to my wife and friends, and to the Lord Himself, my flesh screamed in rebellion, “No, this is not you!”  And – as if I needed further evidence – when I grew disillusioned with myself and introspective and despondent because of these realizations, I could not bring myself to seek grace.  My inner Gollum screamed in defiance, “No grace hates us!  It wants to destroy us!”  I found a roadblock in my way.  Though I knew I desperately needed God, I returned again and again to seek evidence of my own faithfulness.

Finally, as I was listening to the worship song, The Prodigal, the Lord clearly revealed who I really am.  

"You held out your arms, I turned away.
Insolent, I spurned your face. 
Squandering the gifts you gave to me and holding close forbidden things. 
Destitute, a rebel still, a fool in all my pride. 
The world I once enjoyed is death to me, no joy, no hope, no life. 
Mercy’s robe, a ring of grace, such favor undeserved.  You sing over me and celebrate the rebel, now your child.”

I am no one special; just another sinner, recipient of His mercy, saved by His grace.  Though I had been saved for over thirty years, I suddenly knew deep inside that I too was a reckless rebel against God’s grace, just like all the prodigals around me.  And with that came the opportunity to begin to know what it really meant to receive undeserved mercy.  Praise God for it.  Praise him for his patience.  Praise God that once again he took me to the end of myself to show me the vastness of his love for me.

By Rob Flood

We can sometimes feel like we have the world standing against us.  Like we are the only ones who feel the way we feel, believe the way we believe, or follow God the way we follow God.  The rip current of the world can be so strong that we tire of standing our ground.  In our fatigue and discouragement, we reason why giving in is not so bad.  We deaden the convictions we once had and we surrender to the pull of the world.  Indeed, what can be accomplished with just one person standing strong?

Enter Martin Luther.

When standing before the Holy Roman Emperor and a council gathered to assure his silence…when standing against the whole world…one man took a stand. He was asked to retract all of his writings…writings that revealed the gospel to thousands for the first time.  His response was not complicated, but should have caused his death.

I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God.  I cannot and I will not retract anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience.  I cannot do otherwise, here I stand, may God help me, Amen.

“Here I stand.”  Entrusting his next breath to the very God, Luther stood on the very gospel that saved him.  “Here I stand.”  No pressure from earthly powers…no threat of torture or hell…will move me from the God who saved me.  “I cannot do otherwise, here I stand.”  The courage of 1,000 men contained in the childlike devotion of a redeemed sinner.

What can be accomplished with just one person standing strong?  Covenant Fellowship Church stands in the confidence of the gospel because one man, compelled by faith, had the courage to pull the gospel out of the wreckage of tradition and shrouds of religion.  He put his life on the line to make the good news of Christ known.  One man, standing strong on the gospel, lit a fire that burns 500 years later.

Luther was just one man.  He was just one man in a chain of saints…each standing strong on the gospel…each compelled by their conscience before God to do no other than to stand.

There are stories of such men and women in this church.  At the threat of great cost and with nothing but the promises of God to stand on…still they stand.  Our church is stronger because of them.  Our faith is bolstered because others stood on the gospel.

Sometimes, we feel like we have the world against us.  Perhaps it’s at work, or at home, or in our extended families, or even in the shadows of our own hearts.  What can be accomplished with just one person standing strong?  A revolution.  A revival.  A reformation.

Where will you stand?

By Rob Flood

We have all types of relationships in our lives:  family relationships, work relationships, friendships, neighbors.  We interact with each in its own particular way based upon how we perceive the person.  Is this person helpful to my walk or harmful?  Is this a person I’m trying to reach for Christ?  Do I lead this person or am I called to follow this person?  The answers to these questions often determine the type of relationship we have with them. 

But what of sin?  What is my relationship with sin supposed to look like?  How should I view it and how should I treat it?  Thomas Watson helps us here in his wonderful book, The Godly Man’s Picture:

There is as much difference between sin in the wicked and the godly as between poison being in a serpent and in a man.  Poison in a serpent is in its natural place and is delightful, but poison in a man’s body is offensive and he uses antidotes to expel it.  So sin in a wicked man is delightful, being in its natural place, but sin in a child of God is burdensome and he uses all means to expel it. (p. 146)

This potent picture begs a couple of questions:

1. What do you actively do to expel the poison of sin from your life?  If you were bitten by a poisonous snake, you would suddenly be open to drastic action.  Any and all options are on the table because your very life is at risk.  Do you take that approach to your sin?  Are you willing to consider radical steps to expel the poison from your life?
2. Are there sins that are in their natural place in you…delightful to you?  The child of God is burdened by the presence of sin in him.  When he is not…the heart is numb.  Are there areas where sin feels quite delightful to your soul?  …where no antidote is used because you have no desire to expel it?  There will undoubtedly be areas of sin where we struggle to have victory, but are there areas of sin that you hope God never gets to?  If so, it is at home in you…and doing its poisonous work in you.

Watson goes on to exhort the reader to identify the predominant sin that resides within.  He helps us identify it:

He who is in love with a person cannot keep his thoughts off the object.  Examine what sin runs most in your mind, what sin is first in your thoughts and greets you in the morning—that is the predominant sin. (pp. 148-149)

Once identified, we’re encouraged to “parley with sin no longer, but with the spear of mortification, spill the heart blood of every sin.” (p. 153)  That is drastic.  But, spilling the heart blood of every sin is in keeping with the seriousness of poison in a man.  It must come out with a vengeance and must come out now.

He leaves us, though, with an encouragement of grace:  “Grace and sin may be together, but grace and the love of sin cannot.”  We will struggle with sin…that is expected.  But we ought to be hating it…not loving it.  Though sin be in us, it may never be in its natural place in us.

What is our relationship with sin?  Mortal enemies.  Spill the heart blood of every sin.  This is the goal of the children of God.

By Mark Prater

Editor’s Note: The following has been excerpted from a message that Mark Prater gave to our singles in our Thrive ministry on the topic of work.  The thrust of the message was honoring God in the workplace.  The full audio message can be found here.  Below are just two of the applications Mark gave for practical principles to guide our work.

1. Sincerity of heart  (genuine, it’s a disposition)

“…with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.  Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord…  You are serving the Lord Christ”
- Colossians 3: 22b, 23, 24

A sincere heart takes two dispositions.  The first is humility.  A humble heart does menial and mundane tasks with excellence and joy.  No task is so low that it falls below the call of excellence.  The humble heart remains a teachable one…one that is always seeking to learn.  And, thus, has an accurate assessment of gifts and abilities.  It understands that it is expendable, yet doesn’t become defensive or self-promoting.  Rather, the humble heart rejoices in the success of others.

The second disposition a sincere heart takes is one of servanthood.  Our disposition toward, and service to, our employer, supervisor, clients, customers, and work responsibilities say much about our relationship with Christ and our service to him.  As believers, our service belongs wholly to God.  A disposition to serve well is not just a good business principle, it is a way for Christians to make much of Christ in their workplace. 

2.      Godly speech

“but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.  Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord.”  - Colossians 3:22b-23

Our speech is important because God has poured significance into words.  God chose to speak to us first and to reveal himself, his plan, and his purposes to us through words.  Therefore, we image forth something about God in how we use words.  So, how can we fall in our use of words in our work?

First, we can fall into gossip and slander.  We say things about our boss that we would never say in front of him or her.  We cast negative judgments and take part in subversive office politics.  Next, we complain and grumble.  Sometimes this is about the workload, or the work conditions, or the quality of the coffee.  We also fall into conflicts with co-workers.  These do not make much of Christ in our lives and they even resist God’s purposes and plans for our lives. 

Rather, we need be diligent to examine the fruit of our words.  We need to apply not only the truth of the gospel, that Christ delivered us from bondage to these sins, but also the implications of the gospel.  (see James 3)  As our words have the power to join the culture of our workplace, they also have the power to change the culture of our workplace. 

Conclusion

The principles that we utilize at work actually shape a culture.  Though we may not see an immediate or drastic impact on the culture at large, they set a personal culture.  They set the expectations others have of us and how they evaluate our character.  When we form a consistent personal culture, we give people a glimpse of our purpose for work…of God’s purposes for us in work.  Thus, by the way we work, we make much of Christ.

By Chris Radano

“God is over all things, under all things; outside all; within, but not enclosed; without but not excluded; above but not raised up; below but not depressed; wholly above, presiding; wholly beneath, sustaining; wholly within, filling.”  – Hildebert of Lavardin as quoted in A.W. Tozer’s The Knowledge of the Holy.

I don’t recall exactly when I first learned about God’s omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence…the three omni’s as they’re referred to.  I’ve thought about them, casually talked about them, but am not often amazed by them.  This is perhaps most true of the omnipresence of God.  However, I recently became excited about God’s omnipresence in a way different than his omnipotence or omniscience.  I think generally we have little problem understanding the concept God’s omnipotence, insofar as we can easily imagine a person with bigger muscles than ourselves.  And likewise for us to contemplate omniscience as we know there could be someone out there with a bigger brain than say, Einstein, Aristotle, or even Solomon.  However, when I think of the omnipresence of God, my mind has a more difficult time grasping God’s presence everywhere, fully and not divided, at all times.  Instead, I too often think of God in one place, then quickly zipping around to another place in a microsecond, until he’s finished, brushing his hands until something worth going to comes up.  Or I think of his omnipresence as if he’s some sort of giant looking over the earth addressing multiple things at one time…like a cosmic multi-tasker.  And yet I know it’s more than that.

As I try to grasp an understanding of God’s omnipresence from the Bible, I can too easily get locked into thinking of God’s presence through chronological scriptural accounts, as if he is moving from one story to another, like an episodic television series.  I also underestimate the impact of God’s omnipresence even when it’s explicitly stated in scripture.  For me this awakening moment occurred recently while I was reading the story of Job and wondered of the relative timeline of Job in the Old Testament.  While little is known about the time of Job, speculation of it being as early as the time frame of Abraham or as late as the time of the Babylonian exile excited me.  I grew amazed about the possibility that while God was testing Job through affliction, he could have been making his promises or sealing his covenant with Abraham.  Or while God questioned Job with rapid fire-like intensity, he simultaneously may have been showing Ezekiel revelations of his departing glory from the temple.  Wow!  Now, whether or not these events did in fact overlap doesn’t really matter to me.  Initially, it revealed my unconscious tendency to limit God to doing one big thing at a time in a single location.  But as I meditated on this, I believe God provided a practical picture of his omnipresence, through scripture, to help understand what’s written about his character in scriptures like Psalm 139:7-10.  God is everywhere, fully.  These are the moments when I put down my pen and my book and worship the God that is infinitely greater than me and more glorious than any human being.  Without such a picture, God’s omnipresence looked no different to me than a busy politician going from one appointment to another.

I wonder if we experienced God in the way Job or Abraham experienced Him, that we might feel more blessed than others.  Yet to think that at the exact same time, someone else may be experiencing an equally deep and powerful personal relationship with the same God inspires confidence in the majesty of our God.  Omnipresence is still harder for me to grasp than his omnipotence or omniscience, however, by the Spirit’s continual illumination of scripture, it’s becoming easier to now imagine a God who can do all things and know all things for all people throughout the world…at the same time.

By Andy Farmer

 

I came across a recent blog by Kevin DeYoung on the Gospel Coalition where he shows a clip from the movie Amistad.  Amistad was produced and directed by Steven Spielberg and released in 1997.  If you don’t know the story, here’s a brief synopsis from IMDb. 

Amistad is the name of a slave ship traveling from Cuba to the U.S. in 1839.  It is carrying a cargo of Africans who have been sold into slavery in Cuba, taken on board, and chained in the cargo hold of the ship.  As the ship is crossing from Cuba to the U.S., Cinque, who was a tribal leader in Africa, leads a mutiny and takes over the ship.  They continue to sail, hoping to find help when they land.  Instead, when they reach the United States, they are imprisoned as runaway slaves.  They don't speak a word of English, and it seems like they are doomed to die for killing their captors when an abolitionist lawyer decides to take their case, arguing that they were free citizens of another country and not slaves at all.  The case finally gets to the Supreme Court, where John Quincy Adams makes an impassioned and eloquent plea for their release.

The movie is rated “R” – appropriately, for some graphic depictions of cruelty to slaves, but the vast majority of movie is about the people involved in a situation that tests the values and convictions of all involved.  Interestingly, the clip DeYoung presents is a remarkable presentation of the Gospel through the experience of two imprisoned slaves who are trying to make sense of the images portrayed in a picture Bible they find in a church.  It is well worth watching.

 

A Gospel for All Nations, watch HERE

By Josh Wann

 

Having the opportunity to travel around and participate in panel discussions on music has given me the ability see that God's people have a lot in common.  It's encouraging to see believers wrestling with similar things in an attempt to honor the One that called them to be set apart.  The majority of my time, I find myself in front of young people who dwell in an urban context.  As a result, one of the hottest discussions always develops around the topic of secular music.

 

Let me unpack some of the implications of this discussion.  Those that find themselves tuning the radio to hear the "hottest hip-hop and R&B" are confronted with lewd depictions of godlessness in a very attention grabbing package.  It is music that speaks their language, but it also addresses issues that matter most to them, even if it uses crude and vulgar content in the process.  But this has been one of the reasons that Christian hip-hop can be such a powerful tool.  It uses the same packaging, but presents different content.  As an alternative, "hip-hop heads" (an endearing term for avid hip-hop/rap listeners), who are also believers, can now enjoy the music that is their preference, but without the guilt of knowing that they are not honoring their Savior.  Though there is well-crafted stuff out there, the challenge with non-Christian hip-hop music is that the majority is flagrantly foul and there doesn't seem to be much of a neutral middle ground.  With that in mind, we must see how we can wrestle with a wicked culture, but remain unblemished during the interaction.

 

The question that challenges believers of every generation is, "How do I wrestle through the command to live in the world, but to not be influenced by the world?”  The cultural expressions may change, but the overarching reality that we live in and interact with our cultures never fades.  As I sort through this, I find myself wrestling with 3 options.  1) I can choose to jump head first into the culture with no blinders on, which inevitably leads to being influenced by the culture.  2) I can choose a form of modern monasticism, which moves me so far out of the culture that I lose my influence.  3) I can learn how to be discerning and interact with my culture, but only to the point of remaining influential, not influenced.  My goal is to strive for the latter point.  How I do it is the hard part.

 

In answering these questions, I always face the temptation to run to point 1 or 2.  Admittedly, it would be much easier for me to float along with the current of the culture.  Amidst all of the current media outlets, all I have to do is to open my eyes and ears to encounter the world.  How much easier it would be to live life this way!  With no concerns of what I digest, I can mistakenly think that living an unrestrained life is actually freedom.  When those temptations arise, I must bring to mind the psalm of Asaph - Psalm 73.  Only with an eternal perspective can I battle my desires that want to be immersed in my culture.

 

On the other hand, running from the culture looks very attractive, too.  A common question I ask myself is, "If I could just live life in seclusion with no TV wouldn't I be much holier"?  As I ask this I'm reminded of the Pharisees.  They too looked to outward actions to produce their godliness.  I guess that doesn't work for me, either.  It was Paul, when writing to the church at Colossae, that reminded them that their tendency towards asceticism was "of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh".  In fact, Paul went on to tell them to turn their attention to Christ, where He is seated at the right hand of God.  In light of this, I now have some sort of framework with which to engage my culture.

 

If I am successful in setting my mind on things above, only then will I be able to navigate through my culture.  When I taste and see that the LORD is good, then how tasteless will the world be!  My affections will be fresh for the Savior and will allow me to be the salt of the earth.  As I am given grace in this area, I am now free to interact with my culture.  I don't have to worry about separating myself (physically) from my culture because I know that one day I will be separate from it.  I am not of it.  I do not belong to it.  I don't find my identity in the culture or buy into it’s prescriptions for life.  Rather the opposite is true.  I see the culture for what it is and pray that I can be the fragrant aroma of Jesus.

 

By Andy Farmer

 

I’m fascinated with myself.  What I mean is that I’m fascinated with people, of which I am one.  I’m fascinated by what makes us tick and why we don’t all tick alike.  The other day I was thinking about how I think – why some things seem easy to remember (like the lyrics to pop songs that I didn’t even like when they were popular) and other things seem totally unretainable (like how to work my point and click camera that is supposed to be so easy it doesn’t need directions.)  In doing this little thinking exercise I found myself stumbling into clarity that I didn’t’ expect.  I don’t know if this qualifies as insight, or even if it is valid, but it seems clear to me so I’m going with it.  So here goes.

 

There are two types of thinkers – Flow Thinkers and Stuff Thinkers. 

 

Flow Thinkers take in information and flood it with emotion and feelings.  This turns information into mental fluid which can slosh around our brains and fill in wherever there is space for it.  The great thing about Flow thinking is that we can blend things that wouldn’t seem natural to go together and come up with really creative stuff.  I think that’s what happens with artists.  Artists are Flow Thinkers (at least in my analysis).  They take in information, puree it on a sensory/emotional level, blend it with other fluid information they have sloshing around in their brains and then spray it out in some form that is totally particular to them.  When Flow Thinking works well it produces art and originality.  When it doesn’t it produces relational chaos and unemployment.

 

Stuff Thinkers take in information and distill out subjectivity so that what is left is easily quantifiable and manageable and objective stuff.  This stuff can be readily stored in pre-organized categories for future use.  As need arises, Stuff Thinkers can go to the Stuff Warehouse of the Brain and pull material that is appropriate for the task at hand.  Because it is pre-molded, stuff can be arranged or built into a complex of ideas or strategies that can then be converted into logical actions and decisions.  Whether they have the education or not, Stuff Thinkers are engineers at heart.  They will spend a great deal of time and energy making sure they’ve got the right stuff to work with and are putting it together in the most systematic way.  When Stuff Thinking works well you get order and progress.  When it doesn’t you get … relational chaos and unemployment.

 

Maybe I’m oversimplifying a bit here.  Maybe.  But I do believe that we have a way we like to organize the information of life that seems to work for us.  But we may be totally unaware of the benefits of thinking outside of our little Flow or Stuff mentalities.  We may have little appreciation of the way others think.  And all too often we may be oblivious to the downside of our thinking habits.  

 

Proverbs 28:26 tells us that “Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.”

 

Maybe when we’re thinking about our thinking we should remember that wisdom includes knowing how to keep that which should stay flow as flow, and that which should stay stuff as stuff.     

By Bill Patton

In Proverbs 1, wisdom calls to the simple and to the scoffer.  She persistently stretches out her hand, offering abundant and valuable reproofs and counsel.  But men refuse to hear wisdom.  They forsake wisdom.
 
So, the Proverbs say, Wisdom will laugh at their calamity.  When distress and terror and anguish come upon them, Wisdom will mock them and refuse to hear their cries.  Because they foolishly rejected the fear of the Lord, because they hated knowledge, because they despised wisdom, fools will reap the distress, terror and anguish their folly inevitably brings.
 
But Wisdom does not laugh at the wise.  Amazingly, the text says that whoever listens to wisdom will dwell securely.  Those who embrace wisdom will not dread disaster.  So Wisdom keeps the wise from anguish; wisdom brings them security and freedom from calamity.
 
So, the question I ponder this morning is this:  Did Christ’s perfect wisdom protect him from calamity, anguish, and disaster?
 
Well, to a point, it did.  Again and again, Jesus escaped disaster.  From the days when Herod tried to kill him, to the many times his enemies hatched murderous plots against him, Jesus was miraculously kept from calamity.  His soul we free from anguish.  Wisdom protected him perfectly.  But then something changed.  
 
In Gethsemane Jesus’ soul is seen to be in great distress.  Up to that moment we read of no calamity, no deep anguish, and no disaster befalling him.  But in the garden we observe something astonishing and strange:  The wisest man who ever lived is in profound distress.  He is in tremendous anguish.  He is facing the disaster of the cross.
 
Proverbs 1 tells us that the simple are killed for their turning away, but Jesus turned not away!  It tells us that the scoffer reaps calamity for his scoffing…but Jesus scoffed not.  Why the calamity of the cross?  Why, upon the cross, does Wisdom mock Jesus?  Why, upon the cross, does Wisdom laugh at his calamity?  Why upon the cross does Wisdom refuse to protect him?
 
Well, the answer is a mystery difficult to fathom:  On the cross, the wisest of all, reaped the fool’s penalty.  On the cross, Wisdom bore the disaster fools deserved.  Wisdom protected Jesus until He took upon himself the folly of the world.  He who knew no folly became folly for those who forsook wisdom.  At that point, Wisdom utterly forsook him.
 
But Wisdom is always just.  So the Father raised Him and made him the King of Kings.  Here is a deep and mysterious wisdom even King Solomon could not fathom:  The love of God for fools.

By Andy Farmer

I’m dropping in a blog by C.J. Mahaney today from about a year ago on Self-sufficiency and the battle with prayer.  I have two reasons.  First, in responding to the collective sense we have as a church that we want to grow in prayer as we move into the book of Acts; this is a great bit of wisdom on how to make sure we don’t simply depend on formal prayer times.  The second is to highlight the blog itself.  I find it is very helpful, not only to keep up with what’s going on in our family of churches, but to be fed by helpful thoughts from an array of insightful folks.  

The link for the blog is here.

And here’s the post from 3/31/09:

As the typical day unfolds, the unexpected expectedly happens.  With one eye on the clock and another on our schedule, we can often watch our planning derail throughout the day.  And as I realize my plans for the day will not be flawlessly executed, my soul has a tendency to be weighed down by accumulating cares.  But rather than humbling myself as I should, I find myself vulnerable to self-sufficiency, at risk of relying upon my limited strength and wisdom.  This is pride.

If we are not watchful, our burdens will subtly accumulate over time, and will gradually weigh down our soul.  But it doesn’t need to be this way.  There is a biblical alternative.  

Casting Pride and Casting Cares

Scripture calls us to cast all our anxieties on God, because he cares for us.

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.  (1 Peter 5:6–7, ESV)

Casting all my cares upon the Lord is a means of humbling myself before the Lord.  In reading these passages we discover that casting our cares upon the Lord falls under the command to humble ourselves.  Casting our cares is an expression of humility.  When I fail to cast my cares upon him, I display prideful self-sufficiency.

A Few Words of Prayer

As I make my way from meeting to meeting, decision to decision, and phone call to phone call, I find the counsel of Charles Spurgeon very helpful.  “I always feel it well,” he wrote, “to put a few words of prayer between everything I do.”  Throughout his busy days, Spurgeon scattered words of prayer between each activity, a model I have sought to emulate over the years.  

The content of my “few words of prayer” is not unique and if you overheard them, you wouldn’t be impressed.  I am a simple man and when I think of casting all my cares it is a simple acknowledgement of my dependence upon God and my need of grace throughout the day.

But the very act of pausing in a busy day to pray is an act of weakening pride in my life, acknowledging that I am a dependent creature.  I am not self-sufficient.

And taking a brief moment to humble myself in prayer makes all the difference in my soul throughout the day.  

At its root, weariness is often the result of pride and self-sufficiency in my life.  When I neglect casting my cares upon the Lord, the heavy fatigue of weariness will settle into my soul.  

Casting our cares upon the Lord and humbling ourselves before him are critical activities, regardless of how busy we are.  And this practice cannot be replaced by hours of careful planning and scheduling.

How about you?  Do you follow the practice of Spurgeon and “put a few words of prayer” between everything you do throughout each day?  Are you casting cares or accumulating burdens?  Are you humbling yourself before the Lord or displaying self-sufficiency?

By  Andy Farmer

This is the second post reflecting on a book I recently completed.  It is a small, 103 page biblical theology on the Kingdom of God and the church entitled, well, The Kingdom of God and the Church.  The author is Geerhardus Vos, a Dutch/American theologian of the turn of the 20th Century who taught at Princeton Seminary along side the last of the orthodox lions of that great institution, B. B Warfield and J. Gresham Machen.  Vos is known as the ‘Father of Reformed Biblical Theology’, which might not mean a lot to some folks.  But his works on how the story of redemption plays through the entire Bible are foundational for understanding the grand purpose and beauty of the Scriptures as they reveal the Savior, Jesus Christ.
 
In this book Vos has accomplished an extraordinary task of taking the massive theological topic of the Kingdom of God and pressing its essential Biblical theology into a small and very readable text.  I ended up using it in my devotions and found myself regularly stopping and pondering the deep significance of some of the truths he was offering in small measure throughout.  Here’s another statement that spoke volumes to me.  

Faith and unbelief are experiential states and acts in which the whole spiritual condition of the individual comes to light.  (100)
    
This statement comes near the end of the book, following a wonderful discussion on repentance and faith.  To Vos, repentance and faith are "the two main aspects of the kingdom, righteousness and the saving grace of God, translated into terms of subjective human experience.”  In evangelism we talk about bringing the Gospel to the unbeliever; in mission we talk about reaching the unbelieving world.  Yet I’m not sure we think well about what ‘unbelieving’ means.  What we encounter in experience in evangelism and mission is not people who see themselves as ‘unbelievers’ but as people who ‘believe differently’.  And when we accept that premise as the starting point of outreach, we find ourselves trading in a market that places no value in what we offer.  We may begin to debate on the superiority of our message, be tempted to offer attractive temporal benefits of our system, or adapt our message to the tastes of those with whom we speak.  In any case we succumb to the fallacy of ‘relative unbelief’ – that resistance to God is something that can be overcome with strategy, persistence or our own great example.  But Vos presents faith as a gift of God, the sovereign activity by which He overcomes the sinful unbelieving heart with the saving power of the Gospel.  Unbelief is not alternative belief.  It is a spiritual deadness of our soul to God – an experiential state as well as a religious one – which can only be remedied by divine intervention.  

It might not be good outreach strategy to address our neighbor, co-worker, family member to their face as a ‘rank unbeliever’.  It certainly doesn’t seem loving.  But in our minds and hearts and prayers we need to keep in mind that faith can’t be teased out by our efforts.  Saving faith is God’s doing and we are privileged beyond all reason to participate in the sowing of the seeds which give birth to it.  

This statement takes on a whole different connotation when I think about personal ministry to my brothers and sisters.  At times I’ll ask somebody if they are struggling with unbelief.  Often the response is something like, ‘I’m sure I am’, followed by a ‘but what I’m really struggling with is…..’  But to Vos unbelief is an ‘experiential state and act in which the whole spiritual condition of the individual comes to light’.  It isn’t something you can skip over in the inbox of the soul to get to the real problem.  If the key to life in Christ is faith, then in some sense the key to struggles in life is unbelief.  This doesn’t mean that effective pastoral or personal ministry is summed up in squashing unbelief.  But it does seem that to truly help people we need to be able to discern how the ‘whole spiritual condition’ of those we are counseling is affected by unbelief.  And it seems that we need to be able to address truth to the specific manifestations and strongholds of unbelief in a person’s life.  Effective ministry is helping people appropriate honest and grace empowered faith to the difficulties of life.  Our practical theology of faith must contain biblically informed remedies against the dissipating effects of unbelief.  Vos has given us a one sentence truth agenda that can serve us in every evangelistic and personal ministry situation we face.   

By Andy Farmer

I’ve really enjoyed watching these Olympic Games.  And not just because the US has been rocking it on the medal stand.  Some of the things I’ve enjoyed most are not involving US athletes.  In contrast to other years, it seems like there is relatively little politicking and whining going on.  Also, it seems that except for the unexpected ‘agony of defeat moments’ where an athlete falls or fails to finish, it is taking truly great performances to win medals.  Competitor after competitor is doing a personal best, only to have that topped by somebody else’s personal best.  And that’s what makes for good sports, no matter who wins.

This brings me to what is still in my mind the greatest Olympic moment of all – the 1980 US Hockey Gold medal.  In the movie “Miracle” Kurt Russell does a great Herb Brooks, including one of the all time best rallying speeches in the history of sports.  You can check it out here (note there is one bit of mild coarse speech in this).

But after you watch that you’ve got to check out this version of the speech delivered by 5 year old Josh Sacco – it’s outstanding!  They interviewed him on SportsCenter and he talked about how he went and delivered the speech to the US Hockey team before they played the Canadians this past weekend. Is that cool or what?

And finally, if you haven’t had enough, here’s Herb Brooks played by Kurt Russell, with voiceover by Josh Sacco.  

I love the Olympics!

By Bill Patton

 

It was a beautiful autumn afternoon, a Saturday.  The warm sun beckoned grandfatherly homeowners like me to step outside and get something done.  The grass didn’t need mowing.  West winds had yet to dislodge thousands of quivering yellow leaves from the maple trees; no need to rake.  So I decided to stow the garden hoses in the garage for winter.  As I finished winding-up the first hose something happened that shattered my Saturday afternoon repose.

 

Tires screeching, a young man shouted some terribly vile expletives at me from a passing car as it pulled away from the High School near my house.  Using great economy of words he told me what to do and challenged my masculinity.  As the car roared away my thoughts were retributive and angry:  “What’s wrong with winding up a garden hose on an autumn Saturday?”  You think I’m less of a man for doing that?  Is this your idea of fun -- to shout obscenities at gray-headed grandfathers without cause?  If I’m so feminine, why not curse me to my face, you insufferable little coward!”

 

In a flash, I imagined I was righteous Elisha being taunted for his bald head by some Hebrew youths.  Two bears came out of the woods and ate those teens for lunch.  It serves them right.

 

Then my imagination went completely over the top.  I suddenly became….  Jack Bauer, of TV’s “Twenty-Four.”  Jack is a grandfather too, you know.  In the real world I was peacefully hanging up a garden hose in my garage…but in my imagination I was driving an unleashed 4.6 liter V-8 Mustang GT, rapidly converging on an evil cell of obscene-word-bombers who terrorize old people.  I imagined that with my CIA back-up’s high-tech help, I found mister-hot-stuff teen driver just as he pulled into his driveway.  I must have threatened some kind of torture if he refused to divulge the location of his head-out-the-window, curse-the-grandpa, terrorist friend -- because the kid coughed out an address, trembling.  I jumped back into my Mustang to continue the chase.

 

A comment Sue made to me once, as I watched “Twenty-Four”, suddenly came to mind.  “Maybe you shouldn’t be watching that violent show.”  Righteous thoughts have a way of ending corrupt daydreams.  “OK Lord, please forgive my vengeful, angry spirit toward the cussing kid.  I’ll try to be more careful.  Only please…allow me to watch the next season of “Twenty-Four”. 

 

But then the Holy Spirit began a deeper work, bringing to mind a CJ Mahaney sermon, and the convicting words of a hymn:

 "Behold the Man upon the cross My sin upon His shoulders Ashamed I hear my mocking voice Call out among the scoffers"

 

At that moment, imagination began to work with, rather than against, the gospel.  I saw my many sins as vile insults hurled at Christ.  I saw my disobedience repeatedly putting the Savior to open shame.  I saw my innumerable transgressions weighing him down so much, he could scarcely breathe.  I heard my mocking voice.  Then I heard him gasp a prayer for me.  “Father, forgive him, for he knows not what he does”.  

 

“Lord, I am so unlike you,” I prayed.  “I have mocked, insulted, and cursed you again and again.  Yet you have shown me unending mercy.  Lord, please extend your love and mercy to that boy who hurled profanity at me without cause.  Please, Lord, save him.”

 

As I stepped out of the garage to wind up a second garden hose, I marveled: How kind of the Holy Spirit to use a crude insult to remind me of the gospel -- and cause me to pray for a restless kid who needs a Savior.

By Andy Farmer

 

I don’t tend to like to make social commentary on a blog, but I couldn’t resist.  Here it is a couple of weeks away from the Winter Olympics and I’ve been presented with an ethical dilemma.  I’m a life long Olympics fan (both summer and winter games) and over my history I have learned that controversy comes with the Games.  I have vague memories of the 1968 Games and the black power salutes on the 100 meter medal stand.  Politics has always been an issue – who can forget the absurd boycotts of the 1980 and 84 games.  And of course you’ve always had the judging problems and the performance enhancing drug scandals.  So I’m no purist when it comes to ‘the Olympic Ideal’. 

 

But the Fox Fur Predicament has me in a no – win situation.  Here’s the deal.  US figure skater Johnny Weir has decided his uniform of choice should include, among various swirls and sequins, fox fur trim.  But now People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have pressured Weir to drop the fur.  Here’s the story along with a picture so you get the idea of what Mr. Weir is styling these days and why this is a big issue.  http://www.idahostatesman.com/450/story/1059905.html

 

 

So why is this my problem?  Well, like I said, I don’t mind controversy in my sports, but I like to land on one side of the issue.  And this one has me flummoxed.  Do I (assuming I ever had the chance to make my case to Weir or PETA) say,

 

“PETA, do us all a favor.  Get Johnny to dump the fir.  While you’re at it see if you can talk him into a hoodie and sweats. 

 

Or, do I say to Johnny,

 

Listen Sport; don’t let the Animal ACLU push you around.  It’s a free country – wear whatever you want – just bring home the Gold!

 

Either place I land some sensibility in me gets messed with.  I don’t really want animal rights zealots (as much as I love animals) brow-beating people on their costume choices.  But I don’t want my USA male athletes prancing around in fur trim tights.  Probably the only thing that would satisfy me is to see JW skating around in a hoodie and sweats in a routine set to Ted Nugent songs.  But that may be more than I can hope for with two weeks left to go before the Olympics. 

 

On a related note, here’s a picture of Jill and me at the International Olympic Headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland a couple of years ago.

 

Bring on the Games!

By Al Everett

 

I have never really liked winter.  As a young man I suffered from what doctors might call Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD for short.  Basically it meant I would be SAD in the winter because of the decreased amount of daylight.  Each year, as Day Light Savings Time ended, the dread would begin to build and soon become debilitating depression that would last until the first real harbinger of spring – the Phillies’ spring training games.

 

Over time I began to wonder if what the doctors diagnosed as a disorder might not actually be ordinary bitterness – a simple anger at God for allowing me to suffer the cold.  The proof of this theory came along when I decided confession was a better treatment for my bitter spirit than the doctor-recommended light treatments.  As a result, the Lord led me into what would truly be my first winter without being SAD for as long as I could remember.

 

Don’t get me wrong though.  In spite of that grace, I still hate being cold.  So when I get out there like most guys and start chipping away at the ice on my driveway on those below freezing days, you can bet I am struggling to find joy.  The old bitterness may be gone but man, I still do not like the cold. 

 

One winter’s day, as I was chipping away at said ice on my driveway, feeling a little joy-challenged, I began to daydream about my garden.  (Yes, real men do garden, but that is a post for another day.)  As I struggled with that ice, I started looking around and seeing a plant here and another there.  I felt joy building as I thought,

 

"Yes...that plant will soon be green again, and that one there, it’ll soon be covered with pink and purple fragrant buds, and that row of sticks, those skinny, dead twigs, they will be filled with flowers that will bring the hummingbirds and the butterflies." 

 

I remembered the warmth of summer and the joy of splashing with my daughter in our pool.  For a few minutes the ice and gloom were gone and I was in my swim trunks, smelling burgers on the grill and hearing the crack of a baseball against a bat.

 

C.S. Lewis wrote that Narnia was a place where it was "always winter but never Christmas," a sad metaphor for a world separated from God.  You know, our present struggles in this world are winters of a sort, but because of the cross, with every winter comes a spring, with every death comes a resurrection.  If we look only at the cold and darkness of this present winter, we will be joy-challenged.  But if we can focus our sluggish souls on the spring to come, as God works all our trials together for our good, imagine the joy that His Spring will bring.  Believing is seeing and you can see it and rejoice in it now, even while living in the throws of today's cold and ice.  God's grace brings the hope of spring into our present day reality.  Though we now endure circumstances of winter, we have hope for the spring as the power of Christ's resurrection builds in the darkness of our lives, anticipating the day it will explode in joyous, glorious, fragrant spring. 

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

In my devotions these days one of the books that is feeding me is J. C. Ryle’s classic book “Holiness.”  Ryle is writing in the 1800’s to address tendencies in his Christian culture for people to go to extremes.  One extreme is to see holiness is something we ‘get’ through some powerful spiritual experience – what was then called a ‘higher life’.  The other is to view holiness as a comparative thing – it’s OK as long as long as you don’t get too carried away with it.  In other words, Ryle was writing to people like you and me.  

In his third chapter he attempts to unpack the practical reality of holiness.  Reading his description has become a great test of my own desires for holiness.  Men, as we head into the new year let’s put ourselves under the Ryle’s practical holiness test.  Where is God putting his attention for our holiness in the coming year?  What clear deficiencies need to be addressed if we are to grow in practical holiness?

The following list is a summary of Ryle’s description of practical holiness with an application question to consider following each item.  Perhaps there are one or two items on Ryle’s list that the Lord has put on your list for 2010.  If you’re searching for some good sound reading for life change – get the book.  It is a true classic.

Holiness is the habit of being of one mind with God, according as we find His mind described in Scripture.

• What role is the Bible currently playing in the way you make decisions?  

A holy man will endeavor to shun every known sin and to keep every known commandment.

• Are there any areas where you know you are failing to obey God, and not doing anything about it?  

A holy man will strive to be like our Lord Jesus Christ.

• When was the last time you soaked in one of the Gospels – and learned about the way to follow Jesus?  

A holy man will follow after meekness, longsuffering, gentleness, patience, kind tempers, and government of his tongue.

• How do you do in situations where you are wronged?  

A holy man will follow after temperance and self–denial.

• Are there any areas of excessive self-indulgence that you are falling into on a regular basis?

A holy man will follow after charity and brotherly kindness.

• Are you battling the tendency of self protection or self promotion with love toward others? 

A holy man will follow after a spirit of mercy and benevolence towards others.

• Are you looking for opportunities to do good to others?  

A holy man will follow after purity of heart.

• Is there anything you regularly watch or listen to that would defile your heart?

A holy man will follow after the fear of God.

• Is there anything you regularly do simply because it pleases the Lord for you to do it?

A holy man will follow after humility.

• Are you looking for opportunities to promote the interests of others over your own?

A holy man will follow after faithfulness in all the duties and relations in life.

• Do you see faithfulness to your responsibilities as a blessing?

Last, but not least, a holy man will follow after spiritual–mindedness.

• Are you looking to order your life around the things that stir your thirst for Christ?

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 Andy Farmer

For many of us the holidays are one of the best opportunities we have to reach out to unsaved family members.  But this isn’t always the experience we would hope for.  About a year ago Mark Altrogge offered some great advice on how we can prepare for the always interesting but often challenging holiday family get-togethers.  This is from www.theblazingcenter.com.

What to Do with Your Unsaved Relatives this Christmas

Many of us have unsaved relatives that we see infrequently, or only once a year at Christmas.  What if they’re not open to the gospel?  Maybe they’re downright opposed to Christ.  What if God has yet to open a door to share the good news with them?  What’s a believer to do?  Here are some suggestions.

1. Pray

Before they come, pray that the Lord would open doors for the gospel and give you an opportunity to share it with them.  Ask the Lord for a sincere love for them, the grace serve them and that they would see Christ in you.

2. Serve

I can easily sink into a selfish malaise at family gatherings, especially after meals.  I find myself lying on the couch drifting into oblivion or staring comatose-like at the television.  By God’s grace, what I try to do is to look for opportunities to serve.  It may be something as simple as clearing the table or doing dishes.  Unbelievers are watching us.  Let our goal be to show them Christ, who did not come to be served but to serve and give his life for others.

3. Serve their Children

Before family get-togethers I have often told my kids that our goal for the evening is to try to make sure our relatives have the best time they possibly can, especially their children.  Serve your relatives’ children, and encourage your children to serve their children.  For many years after our Thanksgiving meal with relatives, I would do a Christmas craft with all the kids.  We’d make Christmas ornaments with Play Dough or 3-d Christmas trees out of construction paper, glitter and beads.

Remember, Jesus welcomed children, blessed them, and said that when we receive a child in his name we receive him.

4. Take an Interest in Them

Seek to take a sincere interest in your relatives.  Ask them about their jobs, hobbies and interests.  Ask them what kind of Christmas traditions they had as kids.  Ask them about their favorite childhood Christmas presents or memories.  Ask them about their health if you are aware of any problems.  You could offer to pray for them if it seems appropriate.

Look to the interests of others as Christ looked to our interests.

Let your light shine

The whole goal is to “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Mt. 5:16).  Perhaps God will give you the opportunity to share the gospel with them.  If not this Christmas, maybe next.  Keep praying for their salvation.  Who knows, God may do something in the future that will make them open to the good news of Jesus Christ.

By Andy Farmer

I was perusing the Sovereign Grace Ministries blog recently and came across interesting posts.  Both have video or audio content, so if you have a chance, check them out.   

The first is a video interview that Together for the Gospel did with C. J. Mahaney in his office where he talks about his day to day routine – and some stuff he keeps on his shelves.  

http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/Blog/post/cj-mahaney-office-sports.aspx 

The second is an interview that Mark Dever does with Voice (Curtis Allen) and shai linne, two hip hop artists who are faithfully proclaiming the Gospel.  shai linne is a friend of many of our folks and Voice has been up here several times to do shows and minister in our church.  

http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/Blog/post/Christian-Hip-Hop-interview.aspx

By Andy Farmer

I’m just finishing up a class at Westminster Seminary called ‘Counseling and Physiology’.  It has been a very helpful and timely course.  There may be no area of present day life that is more Gospel-resistant than the world of counseling and psychiatry.  This doesn’t mean that everything out in that world is evil or unhelpful.  In truth, to do effective biblical counseling we must not only have some familiarity with a psychological view of people and their problems, we should have a reasonable appreciation for some of the insights and perspectives that are developed from within that world. 

For one, the world of psychology is increasingly recognizing that people are a complex blend of the physical/mental-emotional/relational/and yes, even spiritual in some cases.  If we understand ourselves as the Bible describes us, we will recognize as well that we are integrated beings.  We cannot separate what happens to us physically from what happens to us mentally from what happens to us spiritually.  We are all three, all the time.  While we don’t want to get our understanding of who we are from psychology, we can glean insights into how we tick from these fields of study. 

Another example of how we can benefit from the study of human physiology and personality in the secular world is in the area of addictions.  For example, it is very helpful to know how different drugs affect the brain.  It would be easy to see addictive tendencies and substance abuse as simply a matter of moral choices.  But even a basic sense of how chemicals affect the brain tell us much about how people can struggle to free themselves of drug dependencies.  When we are trying to help people overcome cocaine addiction it can be helpful to know that it can take the brain up to a year and half to return to normal status after a cocaine episode.  And that there are so many different ways that alcohol affects the brain that it is virtually impossible to develop an effective treatment plan for severe alcoholism.

But even with this appreciation, we need to stand firmly committed to a biblical understanding of personhood.  And that means holding the idea of personal responsibility for sinful actions as the key to dealing with addictions.  When the world would say that the addicted person is a victim of bad genes or brain chemistry, we must stand on the biblical truth that all addiction is fundamentally false worship and can only be ultimately corrected by an encounter with the living God in the person of Jesus Christ.

Counselor Ed Welch helps us see the need to keep moral responsibility at the heart of addictions in his book Addictions – A Banquet in the Grave.  Welch writes,

Why is it important to talk about responsibility for both cause and cure?  First, because it is true.  We are sinners, even when we are not obviously sinning.  Until Christ returns, sin is part of our fabric (1 John 1:9). Second, because any other perspective would essentially nullify or limit the cross of Christ, the ultimate resting point for all Christian counseling.  It is impossible to get to the good news of the cross from a starting point that limits moral responsibility.  If we are born good and have been ruined by a dysfunctional environment or a biological abnormality, then any help we receive is intended only to heal.  The goal is to restore an addict to his or her original good state.  Jesus is there only to help us when we trip or to make us feel better about ourselves.

This, however, is not the gospel.  The gospel is that Christ died for sinners and then rose from the dead.  It is good news to people who sin and are sinners.  It is good news for desperate people, not nice people who occasionally do wrong things.  And its goal is a completely new person, not a person who has been cleaned up a bit.”  (Page 194-5)

By Tim Ashford    

I recently listened to a biographical sketch on John Bunyan.  I’m was reading The Pilgrim’s Progress, so it was fitting to hear about the life of the man who wrote it.  The Pilgrim’s Progress is not all that Bunyan wrote, though.  I learned from the bio that he wrote a lot of things.  Many of his writings were penned during times of severe trial and persecution.  During the message I was listening to, a quote from another of Bunyan’s works stuck out to me.  It continues to affect me as I think about it.  He wrote on the cost of Christian discipleship:

“Following of me [Christ] is not like following of some other masters.  The wind sits always on my face and the foaming rage of the sea of this world, and the proud and lofty waves thereof do continually beat upon the sides of the bark or ship that myself, my cause, and my followers are in; he therefore that will not run hazards, and that is afraid to venture a drowning, let him not set foot into this vessel.”

In America, living for Christ is often times less than life threatening.  Bunyan’s life and testimony, though, is a glass of cold water splashed on my face in the land of ease.  He reminds me that those who follow Christ must lean hard on Him for the grace to be courageous.  The Master I follow is a stench in the nostrils of a world that functions on principles and practices that evoke His wrath.  Following Him will inevitably bring ridicule from those who oppose Him.  As a disciple of Christ I am not called to complacency but to courageously stand up and be counted for Him.  

At the outset this idea may appeal to us as men.  There’s something about standing up for what you believe that inspires us.  It’s honorable.  Brave.  Loyal.  But if the truth be told I think we all have our fair share of Peter Moments - “I do not know the man” (Matthew 26:74).  When’s the last time you thought better speaking up about Christ because the people around didn’t seem to be open to it?  Personally, I don’t have to think long. 

Bunyan’s description of discipleship reminds me that cowardliness is sin for the disciple.  Those who are ashamed of Him have no part with Him (Matthew 8:38).  But what grace is available for those humbly trust Him for courage.  Thankfully Matthew’s account of Peter’s denial is not the last we hear of Peter.  Filled with the Holy Spirit in the book of Acts, Peter boldly testifies of Christ to his fellow Jews (Acts 2:14 – 36).     

I can’t avoid feeling the wind on my face nor can I fear it when it blows.  It’s simply part of following Christ in a world that opposes Him.  I may not be called upon to suffer like Bunyan or to preach to the masses like Peter, but this I pray: God give me grace to courageously live for Christ.  Not man-centered, prideful, worldly courage but Spirit-filled, Christ-centered, God-glorifying courage.  I need it to be a true disciple.   

By Rob Flood

 

Faithfulness in the life of a man is least in danger when most directly threatened. 

 

Imagine someone breaks into your home and there is immediate danger.  That is a time when most men, without a second thought, step in and are faithful to their call to provide and protect.

 

The directness of the threat calls us into action.

 

Or, if there is an outright invitation to abandon your wife and family and follow after riches or fame.  If the choice is laid out in front of us with that clarity, it is easy to resist.

 

The directness of the threat calls us into action.

 

However, faithfulness in the life of a man is most in danger when least directly threatened.

 

Many a man has been slowly lulled to sleep by the lures of pleasure, only to wake, discovering that his family is gone…that his home has been invaded…that he has left the straight path.

 

There are at least a few things that are true of faithful men.  These attributes can help us and drive us to our knees.

 

A faithful man is a tethered man – He is tethered to his God.  Though his heart may want, in its folly, to drift, it can never drift far.  The tether ties him to his God.

 

A faithful man is a holy man – It is his relationship with his God that tethers him.  It is his own holiness before and with his God that keeps him near and prevents him from drifting too far.

 

A faithful man is a humble man – It is his holiness that makes him humble.  He realized that he is nothing without Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit in his life.  Apart from God, the faithful man withers.  But, as a branch connected to the vine, the faithful man flourishes when we stops seeking to be something greater or stronger than he’s been created to be.

 

A faithful man is a content man – It is his humility and holiness before God that causes him to look at his lot and be content.  He doesn’t strive for more than his providing God has given.  He is satisfied with the Lord’s provision in and for his life.

 

A faithful man is a purchased man – His life has been purchased by the blood of Christ and consequently no longer belongs to him.  Thus, a faithful man is a servant of the King of Kings.  He is duty-bound to walk in the path God has set for him and to do so in a manner that worthy of his calling.

 

A faithful man is a tethered man – And so, we come full circle.  Because he is purchased, he cannot drift far from  his Master.  And his Master will not let him drift far.  He is unseveringly tied to his God.

 

And so, men, as you consider sowing seeds of faithfulness, be alert to our common vulnerability.  Our faithfulness is not mostly endangered by the obvious pitfalls.  Rather, it is the slow, subtle temptations…the ones that go unnoticed until the path is far out of view…that are likely to get us.

 

Rather than living in fear…or in constant awareness of our vulnerabilities…if we are faithful to live our lives as though they are purchased by Christ and tethered to Christ, then the testimony that will resonate from our lives is one of faithfulness. 

 

May we be driven to our knees in desperation for the tethering of Christ.  And may we be driven to our knees in gratitude that none can pluck us from His hand.

By Chris Radano

For the last 10 years I’d say that I’ve been pretty healthy, rarely getting even a case of the sniffles.  In fact, I recall my coworkers and I while in graduate school joking about wanting to be sick so we could take some time off from coming into the lab, mainly to avoid the crack of our advisors’ proverbial whip.  The 12+ hours a day in the chemistry laboratory often led to physical and mental exhaustion, but rarely did it ever turn into good old-fashioned sickness.  But…when we did get sick, we would treasure the day at home.  Nowadays, for whatever reason, getting sick is no longer hard to do.  And as a result, I have found myself considering how God has been using my sickness to grab my attention.

I first thought about this as I was recently returning home from a vacation visiting some friends.  After coming down with a head cold during the week, I was in no mood to drive ten hours on the turnpike.  Preparing for my departure home, my friends and I prayed for safe travel as well as this time for my healing.  As we were praying, I felt led to thank God for my sickness.  Sure I wanted to feel better, but I also wanted to express to God my thanks for giving me this cold.  This wasn’t meant to be a “look how spiritual I can be” kind of moment, but sincere thanks for the sickness God brought to me.  I know I’m not the only one who has thanked God for his sickness.  I’m also aware of people who praise God for their trials, carrying them during periods of chronic and even terminal illness.  But to me it seemed a bit weird to thank God for a cold which, honestly, was a real nuisance and I know would eventually go away in about four days, whether I prayed or not.

In my younger years I enjoyed the idea of temporary weakness.  After all, if being weak meant sleeping in, not going to work, and staying home relaxing then I might actually enjoy being weak more often.  What connected with me now was that I became much more excited about the prospect of eventually being healthy again.  And what began as a general hope of getting better became enjoyment of God’s promise that there will be a day when there is no more sickness and complete bodily restoration.

In John Piper’s The Passion of Jesus Christ, he describes one of the many purposes behind the atoning work of Christ’s death,

“But all this misery and disease is temporary.  We look forward to a time when bodily pain will be no more.  The subjection of creation to futility was not permanent…One day all disease will be banished from God’s redeemed creation…We will have new bodies.”

A new body, absent of disease, is definitely something to look forward to.  But this time the presence of disease in the body allowed me to reflect on a spiritual healing of my soul.  And though I’m never really happy to be sick, if the result is to refocus on God’s word, the gospel, and his promises, then I can actually enjoy it.  Even if I have to enjoy it on a ten hour turnpike drive. 

By Andy Farmer

We’re in the thick of the baseball post season, with visions of another World Series coming ever closer.  Today’s an off day for the Phils.  So to change things up this week in Take Five I thought I’d pass on a short video clip that I saw on the Kowalker.com blog.  You don’t have to be a baseball geek to get this.

http://kowalker.com/2009/10/01/the-call-of-the-baseball-year/

By Andy Farmer

This week we’re looking back on our 25th Anniversary Celebration.  The next two days will be reflections through pictures.  Today we’re going to remember our anniversary museum from construction through its brief but lively existence.

By Rob Flood

 

When you think of a man’s man, what comes to mind?  Swagger?  Confidence?  Independence?  When a man’s man falls down, is he the type that can pick himself up by his bootstraps and get back on his horse?

 

There are several problems with this kind of man’s man.  First, most of us don’t wear boots, so there are no straps to pull ourselves up by.  Second, most of us don’t have horses, so there’s nothing to get back on.

 

But there’s another problem…one that hits a bit closer to home: this is not how the Scriptures define manhood.  If Christ himself is an example of godly manhood, we don’t see swagger or self-centered confidence or independence.  In fact, we see something altogether different.  We see traditional manhood turned on its head.

 

Christ was humble.  Philippians 2 lays this out for us in unmistakable detail.  God became man…need I say more?  But we all know that, too.  We’re taught well enough to know that we ought to be pursuing humility.  Yet, there’s something about humility that can feel quite unmanly. 

 

No, not the disclosure of our sin.  Everyone knows we sin…so that’s safe enough. 

 

No, not even keeping quiet about our achievements and drawing attention away from ourselves.  That makes enough sense to work its way into our lives.

 

The part of humility that can sometimes feel unmanly is the “needing others” part.  In our culture, as we understand manhood, individuality and independence are necessary ingredients.  And so, concepts like fellowship and structures like Community Groups don’t look all that appetizing.

 

But here are some hard but obvious truths.  Committing to swagger, confidence and independence, in actuality, keeps us much like boys.  Far from signs of manhood, these fleshly and worldly commitments keep us from manhood.  The don’t mark a man…they prevent one.

 

Real men…godly men…are men of community.  They are men of deep and meaningful relationships.  They are transparent men.  They are faithful men.  They are humble men.  They are men that have in them the same mind as was in Christ. 

 

They are men who sacrifice.  Men who serve.  They are men who are desperate for grace, committed to the savior, and needy each day for a fresh filling of the Spirit of God.  They are men who think little of themselves and much of their God.  They are real men…they are godly men.

 

So, will you join me in a group confession session.  Ready…repeat after me:

 

I am full of pride and love myself.  Behind my swagger is a man of fear. Behind my confidence is a man of doubt.  Behind my independence is a lonely man.  Yet my savior has died to rescue men like me.  He has lived the life of the perfect man.  And he invites me to follow him on the path of humility.  Even more so, he is committed to giving the power and wisdom I need to walk that path.  Father, forgive me for my pride…and thank you for your son.

 

So, when you think of a man’s man, what comes to mind?  When we’re willing to turn manhood on its head, we’ll find what a true man…what a godly man…really is.

By Andy Farmer

This coming week we celebrate the 25th anniversary of Covenant Fellowship Church.  To get us primed for the event I thought it would be good to take us back 25 years to October 1984 and look at what was happening that month.  Here are some random factoids that may or may not get you in the mindset for our next week.  Remember, there’s still time to get the mullet going.

Big News:  Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated on October 31, 1984.  An attempted assassination of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher by an IRA bomb fails.  Kathryn Sullivan becomes the first woman to do a spacewalk on a mission aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger.  For the first time the massive famine in Ethiopia is reported.  Americans are in the final weeks of the presidential race between Ronald Reagan and Walter Mondale (In case you don’t remember, Reagan won).

Economy:  The Dow Jones average for October 1984 is 1,207.  A gallon of gas is $1.10.  Movie tickets average $2.50.  The average mortgage rate for single family homes is 12.53%

Sports:  The Detroit Tigers defeat the San Diego Padres in the World Series.  The Phillies finished the season in third place in the division.  The team included Steve Carlton, Jerry Koosman, Tug McGraw, Mike Schmidt, Gary Maddox and Juan Samuel.  It probably didn’t help that they also had Steve Jeltz, Sixto Lezcano and the overrated Von Hayes.  The Eagles were in the midst of a 6-9-1 season under Marion Campbell.  They finished last in the division.

Other Stuff:  Stevie Wonder’s “I Just Called to Say I Love You” was number one for 3 weeks in October 1984.  Prince’s “Purple Rain” was the top album during the month.  Ghostbusters was the highest grossing movie and Dynasty was the top rated TV show. 

And to the best of my knowledge, George Orwell’s apocalyptic vision in his book 1984 didn’t come to pass.

Happy Anniversary!

By Rob Flood

A recent article on breitbart.com caught my attention with the headline, “Americans spend eight hours a day on screens.”  I set it aside, not knowing exactly how to use it, but finding it quite fascinating.  While there were many findings worth noting, the following segment of the article captures the heart of it:

Adult Americans spend an average of more than eight hours a day in front of screens -- televisions, computer monitors, cell phones or other devices, according to a new study.

The study also found that live television in the home continues to attract the greatest amount of viewing time with the average American spending slightly more than five hours a day in front of the tube.

The figure drops to 210 minutes a day of average TV viewing time among 18-24 year olds but rises to 420 minutes a day among those aged 65 and older.

Here are a couple observations that I won’t make:

~   Where does the average American find 5 hours a day to watch TV?

~   Are there better ways than 7 hours of TV watching a day for those over 65 to spend their retirement?

~   While iPhones, Blackberries, and computer screens dominate the electronic stores, is anyone else surprised that TV, dating back to 1939, still ranks first?

Those might be worthy blog topics, but there is something more fundamental to capture here.  There’s something that can serve us as men regardless of how many hours of TV you watch.  And here it is:  pay attention to what you’re looking at.

What you look at consumes time…precious time.  What you look at leaves seeds behind…visual seeds that continue to sprout fruit, even once you’ve turned your eyes away.  This is commonly accepted when it comes to sensual images, but it is much more than that. 

If I mention Close Encounters of the Third Kind…do any images rush to your mind?  How about Indiana Jones?  A hat?  A whip?  How about the Golden Girls?  You forgot that seed was planted there, didn’t you.  Are any of these seeds evil in and of themselves?  No…but they sure do prove that visual seeds take root quickly and bear lasting fruit.

What are you planting in that fertile soil of your heart, men?  When it bears fruit, will it be sweet or bitter?  And, when you’re done with the visual images, will there be any room left for the cross?  …for a spouse?  …for your kids? 

The eyes are so often a gateway into the heart.  And, when the heart is yearning for something to distract it, it most often goes to the eyes for an outlet.  So, as we’re warned about our hearts…

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. (Proverbs 4:23)

…we ought to pay special attention to our eyes.  Job lays out a wonderful example for us all:

I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl. (Job 31:1 – NIV)

With all the screens throwing visual images of every kind…including those of the third kind…a covenant is what it will take.  So, ask yourself…ask each other…what are you looking at?

Click here for the article from breitbart.com.

 

By Jacob Young

In reflecting on the state of my soul lately, I can't remember one single day in the last year where I wasn't tempted to, battle with, or succumbed to spiritual depression. By spiritual depression I simply mean that black, hopeless cloud of a downward spiral into a meaningless, ambivalent, despair, fueled mostly by doubt and (for me) anger. It's not precisely happy land, but a land nonetheless. Of course circumstances don't particularly matter, this is one of those things that comes about for various randomly prompted reasons. However, in a recent trial Michelle and I have been facing, I've seen the temptation arrive at my door step.

With this, I have once again picked up the letters of a good (dead) friend of mine, Samuel Rutherford. His spiritual experience of God is nothing short of staggering. I'm particularly fond of reading his letters, not so much because he's a dead Puritan, but because his experience and expressions of Christ help clear the fog for me and set a vision of what I want for my own life with Christ. In a letter I read last night, he spoke to the subject of spiritual depression with the following remark to a friend:

Now, my dear brother, I cannot show you how matters go betwixt Christ and me. I find my Lord going and coming seven times a day. His visits are short; but they are both frequent and sweet. I dare not for my life think of a challenge of my Lord. I hear ill tales, and hard reports of Christ, from The Tempter and my flesh; but love believeth no evil. I may swear that they are liars, and that [such] apprehensions make lies of Christ's honest and unalterable love to me. ~ Samuel Rutherford, Letters #92, 195.

What he says is astonishing: The war of liars of "false lies" from Satan and his own flesh is fought by the declaring the true and unalterable love of Christ for him, which he experiences regularly. The Gospel says "Yes!" to our sin and it's just punishment in Hell, but quickly follows up with the open arms and extension of Jesus Christ's love for us in the mercy of his work on the cross. In my spiritual depression, there is a fog light of love to be seen in Christ. As Rutherford states, Christ's love for me is "honest and unalterable." More over, I long to experience Christ's presence and love regularly through the day. How does one aim at this? By warding off Satan and the flesh's regular attacks of condemnation with the Gospel. Jesus Christ died to save lost and hopeless people, one of the great truths to be seen here is that God initiates salvation to bring me near. He runs to save, he runs to love, not because of me, not because of what I add to him, but because he chooses to. God comes near in the Gospel not once, but now regularly. Regular visits of Christ in love for the enjoyment of my soul.

As the Psalmist says:

Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God. ~ Psalm 43:5

By Andy Farmer

I came across a post from Kevin DeYoung (DeYoung, Restless and Reformed) where he talks about significant speeches that have affected world history.  He includes excerpts from three he considers truly great – Churchill’s ‘Finest Hour’ speech, Reagan’s “Brandenburg Gate” speech, and Lincolns “Gettysburg Address”.  Hard to argue with the greatness of any of them.  Just take a listen.  I would add to the short list Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream”. 

What makes a great speech?  In my mind a great speech happens when leaders in the crucible of testing are called to speak out of that testing to define and inspire those around them.  A great speech also must wield the power of language as a tool of vision and hope.  Words must capture our attention simply because they are the right words for a significant moment.  These days we prop up mediocre speech with images, but in a great speech words themselves carry the weight.  And finally, a great speech must stand the test of time.  It must not only speak to its immediate audience, but those who hear or read it later, even generations later, must be able to see transcendent reality in what is said. 

Listen to great speeches on the link below.  Do you have any to add to the short list?  

http://www.revkevindeyoung.com/2009/08/great-political-speeches.html

By Andy Farmer

A couple of Sundays ago we celebrated all God did at Youth Camp 2009.  During the service we had the chance to hear from a young man, Evan Wisneski, who received the saving grace of Jesus Christ during the camp.  At the end of Evan’s testimony he made a very profound theological statement.

“I never saw it coming, but I was saved at Youth Camp 2009"

As soon as he said this my mind went immediately back to that late night on February 10, 1981, when I was saved.  Like Evan, I never saw it coming.  I sat down in a college dorm suite lounge convinced that belief in God was “the opiate of the masses” (as my hero Karl Marx said it), and stood up a few hours later a follower of Jesus Christ.

The truth is, for all of us the fitting end of our testimony is, ‘I never saw it coming, but I was saved at…..’  The apostle Paul seemed to enjoy the irony of it all – his Damascus Road arrest by the risen Savior is a key part of the story he tells about himself to whomever will listen.  And he surely never saw that coming!  Essential to Paul’s Gospel is the idea that no one seeks after God.  It is God who seeks after us (Romans 10:3-26).  Repeatedly, Jesus tells us that he has come to seek the lost, not the searching; to open the eyes and ears of the blind and the deaf.  The very people in Jesus’ day who said they were longing for deliverance from God never saw it coming.

This doesn’t mean that people don’t search for something like God.  I was certainly searching back in 1981.  I’m sure Evan would say he was searching before he went to Youth Camp.  The world is full of searchers, and there are plenty of gods, both spiritual and temporal, that are easily found.  But no human searching can find God.  Sin has ruined the eyes that are essential to see Him, ears that are essential to hear Him, and hearts that are essential to desire him.  No, my brothers, if you have found Jesus Christ, it is because he revealed himself to you.  Admit it, you never saw it coming. 

Thank you, Evan, for preaching Gospel truth to us.  I’m glad he saved you when you never saw it coming.  I know what that feels like.  It feels right.

By Jacob Young

I wrote this as a kind of journal entry a few months ago. While this was an intense but relatively short-lived trial, it produced some great fruit in my otherwise comfortable life. Maybe you can relate.

I had my second kidney stone come upon me today. The little guy is just 3mm big – and I’m still waiting for him to make his final appearance. The day went as follows: I went to the doctor in the morning because my pain and discomfort were getting worse; they confirmed it was a kidney stone; I went to another place for a Cat Scan to see where it was; went to work for a bit; came home because the pain was really bad; the pain got worse over the next two hours; I threw up because the pain was so bad; we went to the emergency room upon the guidance of my doctor; got an I-V of stronger pain medication; reflected on God’s goodness with Michelle in the ER room; and eventually came home with new medicine and feeling a lot better.

Anyhow, so below are a few thoughts upon this occasion: 

1. God has been so good to give me these kidney stones. They’re painful no doubt. 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 particularly seen when the heat of pain is intensified.

2. Through the pain, I found my life being more conformed around God than I had expected. Though it was extremely painful, I found myself praying God’s truths to him, praying his Scripture to him, praying his character to him. However, 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. I was thankful to be able to remember some Scripture that I could speak to myself – it’s an encouragement to memorize more Scripture, but also an encouragement that even the most random Scriptures can breath life to a weary soul (for example, I was reciting the first few lines of Ps. 36 to myself – not exactly a “hey, you’ll get better” text!). There is a power in God’s word and truth to always be working. It seems to me that even having a mind focused on God is not something for me to be praised for, but rather God, who’s given me that gift in this situation. I wouldn’t want to look at God when my body’s being destroyed, but God’s Spirit, who moves within me to look at Jesus, does.

3. 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. Kidney stones feel a certain way, so it’s not just like a lower back pain. So upon feeling this, 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. Obviously he didn’t take it away, but he did push it aside until the best time for me. What a great Father.

4. I look with a deeper affection on Jesus Christ with an anticipation of when these bodies will be glorified. As the pain increased, and in reflection, my knowledge and understanding that this body is decaying, that it is not perfect to sustain God’s work in me grows. That, in fact, in my weakness his strength is revealed. How often to I actually glory in my weakness? Folks, 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 – and this doesn’t mean that I’m then given a Porsche body this side of heaven. This body is under a curse as with the rest of creation, but where as this is true from Romans 8:19-23, it is also true from the end of Romans that nothing can separate us from the love of Jesus Christ for us (v. 35), and that all things work for our good (v.28). And what is this good?

5. It also gave me a taste for what Christ saved me from: Hell and God’s wrath. The pain was bad, but not to damnation – however, I caught a faint glimpse of the horrors of Hell, the screams of torment, the anguish of body that only faintly can reflect the wrath of God pressing in on a soul.

I pray that God fixes all these things on my mind to remember, to press on with, and to love him and his Gospel more through. I love God more now – I find myself loving the things of the world less. Oh God, write your Law on my heart through these small but intense trials that I might walk in your statues more closely to honor your name, to walk in the fruits of holiness that Christ bought me fore, that I might enjoy you more, and find Christ more and more satisfying!

By Andy Farmer

 

Note:  This is the ninth and FINAL in a series of posts on Christian liberty based on a pastoral letter written by John Newton in 1776.  For background on the letter see the 6.18.09 post.  You can read the letter in its entirety HERE.

 

When we get to the end of this letter we’d love a big payoff – a final zinger that would bring it all home.  Instead we get an odd warning about being careful in how we interact with our relatives.  Was Newton running out the door and needed to wrap this up quick?  Was he having some in-law problems that surface here? 

 

But as I’ve thought about it, this is a fitting end to his advice.  Newton lived in a time and place where family connections and relationships were crucial to social standing and financial security.  To fall out of favor with your family was understood to be a sign of poor character and untrustworthiness.  It was assumed that personal religion shouldn’t have the poor taste to infringe upon a person’s role in the extended family.  And certainly, evangelism of family members was considered very bad form. 

 

So the pressure to live a certain way in the world and another way in the family was pretty intense.  Newton was offering a godly, yet practical way to maintain the consistency of witness in our lives.  In considering our (extended) family connections we should seek to maintain them but be careful not to allow family obligations to require ‘concessions’ that we cannot make in good consciousness as followers of Christ.  In effect Newton is making a practical application of Jesus’ words to the disciples after the confrontation to the rich young ruler - ‘Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.  (Matt. 19:29)

 

To be a Christian is to undergo a profound change in family relations.  We move from a primary identification with a biologically created family to a spiritually created family.  And it is our place in the spiritually created family that should define and impact our behavior and identification with our biologically created family. 

 

As I’ve thought about this, I’ve realized this really is good Newtonian advice.  One of the hardest places to live out Christian convictions is among our natural relations.  They know who we ‘really’ are behind all that religious talk.  They’re not afraid to remind us with words, or maybe just with subtle looks, that they don’t ‘buy it’.  And we don’t like being talked about by other family members when we’re not around – ‘What’s his problem?  Does he really think he’s better than us?  Is he in a cult?  He used to be so much fun, now he seems so up tight.  Does he have to come to the Christmas party?’

 

I get the sense that if we can walk out our convictions in a humble and loving way among those who have known us since we were little tykes, and whose opinions of us have already been set,  we will be well prepared to stand for what we believe in the rest of our lives. 

 

So, that’s it from the pen of John Newton, Pastor and sinner amazed by grace, on the subject of Christian liberty.  Let his close be my close to this series.

 

I dare not be dogmatical; but I think what I have written is agreeable both to particular texts, and to the general tenor of Scripture.  I submit to your judgment. 

By Andy Farmer

 

Note:  This is the seventh in a series of posts on Christian liberty based on a pastoral letter written by John Newton in 1776.  For background on the letter see the 6.18.09 post.  You can read the letter in its entirety HERE.

 

John Newton was a man who was acutely aware of the time he had wasted in life before submitting himself to the Savior.  He carried a deep desire to use his remaining time on earth in spiritual productivity.  But he also recognized a certain folly in activity blindly done, even spiritual activity. 

 

He understood that work in the world was taxing, but that simply bouncing the intensity of everyday life and throwing ourselves into some spiritual activity to compensate wasn’t sustainable Christianity.  He understood that leisure had its place, if for nothing else then providing a pause in life from constant secular, or even spiritual, pursuits. 

 

Newton would appreciate the value of a walk in the woods, a good book, hanging out with friends, listening to music, a good meal and all that goes with it.  But he also saw the snare in escaping into liberties with the same intensity.  Why? Because more than anything else, what we do in our liberty has the greatest possibility of any endeavor of wasting the precious time God has given us.  

 

We’re talking about uses of liberty such as the couch potato, the internet zombie, the gaming geek and the gym junkie.  Activities that justify intense leisure because we have just been doing intense work, or intense ministry.  Things taking over our time and our lives like weeds in a garden.   Here we need to nail the exhortation of the apostle Paul to our mental doorpost:

 

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,  making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. (Eph. 5:15-17)

 

Newton’s solution to the balance problem in life is simple.  In considering the preciousness of time, we should not be compelled to constant productivity, but should allow our rest to have its appropriate effect.  Not to retreat from spiritual productivity but to refresh for renewed spiritual productivity.

 

By Andy Farmer

Note: This is the sixth in a series of posts on Christian liberty based on a pastoral letter written by John Newton in 1776.  For background on the letter see the 6.18.09 post.  You can read the letter in its entirety HERE. 

Last week we saw how Pastor Newton applied the law of love to our exercise liberty before a dying world.  He next takes a step back and looks at the unbelieving world as a system of doing life.  Newton was, if anything, extraordinarily practical in his spiritual counsel.  He’d spent years in the worldliest of world systems – the trading of human beings as property in the form of slavery.  As a repentant sinner engaged in the care of souls, he understood first hand both the enterprise and enticements of the world.  He knew that withdrawal from the world was not an option for the believer.  Here’s his interesting solution.

In our way of little life in the country, serious people often complain of the snares they meet with from worldly people, and yet they must mix with them to get a livelihood.  I advise them, if they can, to do their business with the world as they do it in the rain.  If their business calls them abroad, they will not leave it undone for fear of being a little wet; but then, when it is done, they presently seek shelter and will not stand in the rain for pleasure.  So providential and necessary calls of duty that lead us into the world will not hurt us, if we find the spirit of the world unpleasant and are glad to retire from it, and keep out of it as much as our relative duties will permit.  That which is our cross is not so likely to be our snare; but if that spirit which we should always watch and pray against, infects and assimilates our minds to itself, then we are sure to suffer loss, and act below the dignity of our profession.

Most of us work in occupations which function entirely on systems created in the world.  We may be an engineer, or a construction worker, or a health care professional, or a student, but we know that the world in which we work doesn’t have as its highest value the glory of God.  So we must learn how to succeed in it without becoming a part of it.  In Newton’s analogy, there’s no way to not get wet with the world.  But there is no reason we have live soaked with the world.  We know that we’re soaked with the world when its values, language, and choices become ours. 

Paul operates a different metaphor when he warns believers to not be ‘unequally yoked’ with unbelievers – to have who we are and what we do tied to what the world is and what it does.  Instead, we are to ‘go out from their midst, and be separate from them (2 Cor. 6:14; 17).  In other words, get out of the rain!

How wet with the world are you?  Do you, like the street smart city worker, have a skill at finding those dry shelter spots in the rain so that you can do your business without getting soaked?  Or have you just gotten used to being wet?  One of the ways we make sure that the pleasant wetness of the world doesn’t become our preferred existence is to cultivate and protect our love for the things of God.  The true joy of the Lord, the fellowship of the saints, the untarnished satisfaction of servanthood are shelters in the rain of the world that we can always find – if we are looking for them.  The Christian who exercises liberty well knows when he’s getting wet, and how to stay dry. 

By Andy Farmer

Note: This is the fifth in a series of posts on Christian liberty based on a pastoral letter written by John Newton in 1776. For background on the letter see the 6.18.09 post.  You can read the letter in its entirety HERE. 

Last week we looked at how the law of love governs our liberty as it relates to our brothers and sisters.  Pastor Newton then extends this principle to our example to unbelievers.  In considering the unbeliever, we should desire that their interactions with us will not only leave them conscious of our graciousness, but our set-apartness as well.

I remember in the first few months after my conversion I met a girl at church who said she believed the Lord had called her to go to dance clubs because they provided great opportunities to evangelize.  I’m pretty confident the clubs she was talking about weren’t quaint little village pubs where she could discuss eternal security over a game of darts.  I was only a few months distanced from the bar scene myself and I was taken aback by my sister’s strategy and rationalization.  I had been going to bars for years and had never met a guy who had any desire for conversation, spiritual or otherwise, while he was there.  I didn’t have the nerve to ask her how it was working out.

But this young woman was simply making her appeal based on a disco version of what is often called ‘incarnating’ in our day.  Christians need to be ‘incarnational’ – need to mix with regular folks in the stuff regular folks do – to have a platform of relevance upon which to share their Gospel story.  There is some good reason in this – we do need to share truth with both our words and our lives.  But the slippery slope of incarnation is that we become so involved with our mission field that we forget the mission task.  We get too alike the people we’re trying to reach.  To be honest, I’ve done my share of ‘over-incarnating’ over the years – sitting in on ungodly conversations, imbibing when I could have easily abstained, telling stories that accent my raucous past rather than my pedestrian present.  My logic is something like, “They see me as this really good moral person, I should show them I’m normal so they ask me what makes the difference.”  And maybe this works from time to time.  But Newton helps us to see that if we buy into the relevance logic we may misrepresent the more significant evidence of God in our lives – our set-apartness, our holiness.  The world is full of people who are trying to be relevant.  What it needs are people who are willing to be different.  The mark of an authentic work of God in a person will combine a discernable holiness of character with an attractive, gracious spirit.  The apostle Paul expresses it with this exhortation:

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.  Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God,  just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.  (1 Cor. 10:31-33)

In holiness we live for the glory of God; in graciousness we live for the benefit of the lost.  Our exercise of liberty should always have in view the saving purposes of God in the unbelieving world around us.  Or as Newton sums up,

Happy are they who are favored with most of the holy unction, and best enabled to manifest to all around them, by their spirit, tempers, and conversations, what are the proper design and genuine effect of His gospel upon the hearts of sinners.

By Andy Farmer

Note:  This is the fourth in a series of posts on Christian liberty based on a pastoral letter written by John Newton in 1776.  For background on the letter see the 6.18.09 post.  You can read the letter in its entirety HERE.

After assessing the effect of how we pursue liberty on our own souls, Pastor Newton calls us to turn our attention toward our brothers and sisters in Christ.  In this he is applying the teaching of the Apostle Paul, who advocated liberty constrained by the law of love in his letter to the Romans

Romans 14:14-21  ¹⁴ I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean.  ¹⁵ For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love.  By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died.  ¹⁶ So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil.  ¹⁷ For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.  ¹⁸ Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men.  ¹⁹ So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.  ²⁰ Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God.  Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats.  ²¹ It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble

Newton advises us, in considering our brothers, that charity and prudence may require us to abstain from things that might be suitable for our liberty but would be a stumbling block for someone weaker.  But to Newton love doesn’t just mean we watch what we are doing around weaker people.  He reminds us that we don’t always know who might be affected by what we do in the exercise of liberty.  We will never know whose faith has been undermined by taking their cue from observing us when we didn’t know we were being watched.  And therefore we won’t be able to help a person who might stumble beyond our awareness.

 

He also makes a connection between how we view our liberties as they relate to what we want to be our example.

 

And it seems that an obligation to this sort of self-denial, rises, and is strengthened, in proportion to the weight and influence of our characters.

 

In other words, those who aspire to greater influence for God should be all the more concerned about their example to others. 

 

The important thing here is that we are not motivated by what others think of us.  That would be fear of man.  We are, rather, motivated by a love for God and others that will seek to make sure that our lives are lived for the ‘mutual upbuilding’ (as Paul says it) of our brothers and sisters in the faith.  So we don’t simply think in terms of avoiding what might stumble others.  We want to see our lives among our brothers and sisters as opportunities to strengthen the faith of others through how we make decisions regarding liberty.  Liberty strained through the law of love will be liberty well expressed. 

By Andy Farmer

 

Note:  This is the third in a series of posts on Christian liberty based on a pastoral letter written by John Newton in 1776.  For background on the letter see the 6.18.09 post.  You can read the letter in its entirety HERE. 
 

John Newton’s approach to liberty and worldliness begins with the effect of our choices and pursuits on our own souls. 

 

In considering our souls, Newton challenges us to refrain from things that ‘deaden our hearts to divine things’, and exhorts us to not ‘pursue, rest in, or allow’ anything that gives us greater joy than our chief joy in God.

 

Last week we dealt with a false distinction between public and private spirituality.  Newton reminded us that our public and private lives are constantly intertwined, because God sees all.  In this exhortation he deals with another misunderstanding.  We often live with a functional divide between our ‘sacred’ (meaning the things we do that are consciously about our religious experience), and our ‘secular’ (meaning the things we do that we don’t consider religious) lives. 

 

When we live with a distinction between sacred and secular, ‘Christian Liberty’ can simply become the religious permission we assume to do worldly things.  We can avoid uncomfortable evaluation of our worldly pursuits by pointing to all the religious activities (quiet times, service, meeting attendance, good deeds, etc.) that give us the right to a reasonable amount of worldly indulgence.  In a sense, we live as if we need to ‘protect’ our secular liberties from sacred contamination.  The truth is, we never have to guard our secular lives from the influence of the sacred world.  I don’t remember a time when I was watching an Eagles game and suddenly got the urge to shut off the tube and read my Bible.  Even if they were losing. 

 

At risk in this sacred/secular distinction is true joy in our soul.  Our souls weren’t created with bipolar tendencies.  They were created to find joy in God and him alone.  It is God’s lavish grace that allows us to experience true joy in God through secondary joys.  And Christian liberty may be best understood as the kind permission of our Creator to enjoy the things He has created for us.  I believe this can include things that we have created for enjoyment as well – art, music, visual imagery, sports, Mexican food, roller coasters, jokes, beach vacations, movies, Ford Mustangs… well, the list is getting a little long and a little too personalized, but you get my point.
 

The first test is, according to Newton, whether something we enjoy through liberty works against our joy in God.  If it does, it will have an enslaving and ultimately damaging effect on our souls.  And liberty was never meant to produce those results.  To rightly understand and enjoy liberty we must remove the sacred/secular divide.  All our secular enjoyments have sacred implications.  And all our secondary joys must ultimately feed our primary joy in God. 

 

 

Psalm 24:3-6  ³ Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place?  ⁴ He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.  ⁵ He will receive blessing from the LORD and righteousness from the God of his salvation.  ⁶ Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah

By Andy Farmer

 

Note:  This is the second in a series of posts on Christian liberty based on a pastoral letter written by John Newton in 1776.  For background on the letter see the 6.18.09 post.  You can read the letter in its entirety HERE .

 

In his advice to Lord Dartmouth, John Newton begins by offering three helpful insights. 

 

First, for most people who are saved out of a life lived apart from God, their initial tendency is to flee many of the ‘worldly’ activities that caused them trouble in life.  But as we move on in the Christian life there is an inevitable interest in reopening some of the doors we had closed behind us in the name of liberty.  We don’t want to go back, we just want to safely sample what we used to crave.  In these seasons we assume that our maturity will allow us to express our liberty.  But Newton reminds us that sometimes the supposed rigid legalism of a young convert is godlier than the easy liberty of the self-professed mature believer.  How we define ‘maturity’ and ‘liberty’ says a lot about what we really desire in life. 

 

Second, it is ultimately unhelpful and unnecessary to approach the question of liberties asking, ‘how near we may go to the utmost bounds of what is right without being wrong’.  If my approach to liberty is based on how much worldliness I can experience and still call myself a solid Christian, I seriously misunderstand the scriptures and I demonstrate a glaring deficiency in my love for God and others. 

 

Third, Newton offers two guiding principles for all considerations of liberty:  True godliness calls us ‘to maintain communion with Him in our own souls and to glorify Him in the sight of men.’  In other words, everything we do affects our fellowship with God and our witness about God to others. 

 

Sometimes we can see how some liberties can affect our fellowship with God but we have a hard time seeing how they affect our witness to others.  If I listen to death metal through my ear buds while I’m doing my devotions, I might have a tough time engaging with the Lord.  But all anybody at that moment would see is me reading my Bible.  So my witness would be intact.  Right? 

 

Conversely, if I have a beer at a ball game and somebody from my church sees me and thinks I’m a lush, my witness might be affected.  But if I’m only having one beer and it’s an appropriate place to have it, I can do it in faith and not have my communion with God affected.  Right? 

 

Wrong on both counts.  Newton reminds us that there is an inseparable link between what we do in private and what we do in public.  When that link is ignored we call it hypocrisy.  If God is God then he is the God of our private life and our public life.  To have a right understanding and practice of Christian liberty we must live before the face of God – Coram Deo - who works in our private lives to make us fit representatives in our public lives.  The light we have in God is the same light that is to shine through us to the world.     

 

Eph. 5:8-10:  For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.  Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.

By Andy Farmer

 

One of the issues we regularly have to deal with as pastors is the challenge of Christian liberty.  We deal with it on a personal level every day of our lives – what we listen to in our cars, what we watch on our TV’s, what we buy, what we enjoy, what we promote.  But is also an issue we are asked about a good bit as well.  Parents want to know what standards they should have in their families regarding worldly influences.  Men and women both want to know how to interact with all of the virtual and real-time lifestyle choices that are common in the culture around them.

 

The battle with the world is a uniquely Christian problem.  If you are not aware that there is a difference between life in this world and life in the next you are probably not a Christian.  But if the draw of the pleasures and distractions of this world we live in, or questions about liberty, license and legalism matter to you, then you have some good evidence of the Kingdom of God doing its invasive work in your heart.  And you’ll probably wrestle with things that most folks won’t comprehend.

 

When I’m wrestling with whether something I want to do is appropriate for me as a Christian I’ll often pull out a letter written nearly 250 years ago.  Over the next few Thursdays I’m going to be sharing the contents of this letter in bits and pieces in this Thursday blog.

 

Why?

 

First, I think some of the best advice in our current age is to listen to the wisdom of previous ages.  None of our present day temptations are really new, and it can be helpful to see how saints gone by dealt with their versions of our trials. 

 

Second, the letter is written by John Newton, who knew the world from vivid experience, and counseled about it with great pastoral and practical insight. 

 

Third, however, is the recipient of the letter.  This letter is part of a pastoral correspondence between Newton and Lord Dartmouth (founder of Dartmouth College), who served as a key advisor to the Prime Minister of England during the American Revolution.  Dartmouth was a Christian seated at the highest level of worldly influence.  The letter we will be looking at was written in November 1776; just about the same time a copy of a little thing called the Declaration of Independence would be crossing his desk.  Ironically, at the same time that this Lord of the Realm was being reminded that the self evident truth endows every human with an inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; he was wrestling with his conscience over whether being a Christian limited the liberties he could rightly enjoy.

 

What we’ll look at therefore is advice to a man who is wrestling in his soul over how to be faithful to his Savior at a moment in time when both worldly influence and worldly temptations are converging upon him in historic proportions. 

 

If you’d like to read the full letter as it is written, here is a copy of it in its entirety.  We’ll unpack it and apply it in pieces over the next few weeks.          

By Mark Prater

 

I recently read an article from the Spring 2008 edition of the Journal of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood entitled “Pursuing Manhood” written by Ray Van Neste.  Mr. Van Neste’s main point is that pursuing manhood and pursuing maturity go hand in hand for he says, “avoiding maturity is emasculating.”    Van Neste is discerning about the cultural forces that shape us without our knowledge as he writes,

 

Our culture is infatuated with youth and encourages you not to grow up.  After all, it says, the glory is in the youth.  If you would be men, you must reject this siren song and swim against the tide.  You must diligently seek to throw off immaturity and to grow up.  Remember the one boy who never grew up was Peter Pan - and in case you haven't noticed, his role has typically been played by a woman.

 

In helping young men pursue maturity by pursuing manhood, Van Neste seeks to answer this question, “So, what does it look like to grown up in manliness?”  In answering the question he gives 8 traits that young men should pursue.  Here are the traits he suggests; you’ll want to read the article to see what he says about them.

 

1. Take responsibility
2. Do your work
3. Own your failures
4. Expect to work
5. Reject the temptation to whine and complain
6. Embrace commitment
7. Sacrifice
8. “Women and children first”

This is great summer reading for guys at any age.  If you’re a father or a single mom who has sons consider reading this article as a means to help you cultivate masculinity in your boys.  If your son is in middle school or high school, I would recommend that you read the article with them and then discuss how you can help them apply it.  The article can be found on the Council for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood website at the link below.

 

http://www.cbmw.org/Journal/Vol-13-No-1/Pursuing-Manhood

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. 

By Andy Farmer

 

On Sunday Jared preached the last sermon in our series, In My Place.  For me it has been a tremendous journey through some of the most profound passages in the Bible.  In this series we’ve been fed by the word of God from:

 

·        1 Corinthians 15:1-5 (The Centrality of the Gospel)

·        Exodus 12:1-27 (The Passover)

·        Leviticus 16 (The Day of Atonement)

·        Mark 15:16-47 (The Crucifixion)

·        Romans 3:21-26 (Justified by Grace)

·        Galatians 3:10-14 (Redeemed from the Curse)

 

Why not take your devotions this week and read back through these passages to dig deeper in reflection on the substitutionary work of Christ for you.

 

In his message Jared exhorted us with this:  “If we ever find ourselves in a place where we are saying ‘I've got that, let's move on' when it comes to the substitutionary death of Christ for our sins, we need to wave a great big caution sign over our lives"

 

Let’s face it.  There are a lot of things going on in life where we want biblical answers.  And there are a lot of big issues we face where we’re tempted to say, ‘thanks a lot, that was great stuff, now can we talk about…..’  But I think what Jared is getting at in that statement, and what this series has resoundingly declared, is that any answers or direction that can’t find connection to what Christ has done for us will not lead us to what God wants for us.  So here’s my personal take home in two points: 

 

1. I want to regularly study and meditate on the cross so that it worms its way into all my thinking and feeling and therefore into all my doing. 

By giving consistent attention to this truth of truths I will build connecting bridges into every area of my life.

 

2. I want to regularly study the circumstances and happenstances of my life and trace them back to the work of the cross.      

Are things going well?  Am I grateful because I’m living in the blessings of God purchased by Christ’s blood?  Are things not going well?  Am I in faith for the promises of God that have become mine in Jesus? 

 

Am I living my life in light of what could have been, and where I could have gone, if Jesus hadn’t died in my place?  As J. C. Ryle writes,

 

The more I keep the cross in my mind's eye, the more fullness I seem to discern in it.  The longer I dwell on the cross in my thoughts, the more I am satisfied that there is more to be learned at the foot of the cross than anywhere else in the world.

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.

 

http://theologica.blogspot.com/2009/04/william-cowper.html

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 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.

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 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 Andy Farmer

Last week I threw myself into some home repair problems around my house.  It was a practical disaster.  Now I don’t claim to be very handy, but I did think I was tackling some things that were in my proficiency range.  Guess again.  The good news is that nearly everything is fixable in a house if you’re willing to throw money at it; which is eventually what I did.  So this week the Farmer household is calm because the Farmer house is no under siege by its owner.  As usual, when this kind of thing happens, I want to learn what I can from the debacle, so I can make sure I learn fresh, new things from the next debacle.  So here are a few things I’ve learned this time around. 

Don’t try to do two jobs at once.  I know, this should be a no-brainer.  In this case I thought I could do some painting and then, between coats, fix my water heater.  Don’t do this.  There is a math to home repair that says it typically takes 3 times as long as you plan for it.  I’ve learned the law of exponents in this experience – 1 job X a factor of 3 X 1 job X a factor of three is nine times the hours I thought it would take to do the job.  That’s math that really hurts.

Self-pity seems like an convenient refuge, but is really a depressing pit.  There is a low point you get to in something like this where you realize you’re too far in to go back, and too far from finishing to want to go on.  I had about nine of those points (see above algebra) last week.  The thing I learned from last time is that anger doesn’t help.  I learned this time that self-pity is just as bad.  Sitting down in my basement on an overturned bucket lamenting my lot in the cosmos felt good for a little while, but I found it stayed with me.  I couldn’t shake it; in fact, I felt the urge to try to invite everybody else to my little pity party.  Everybody sent their regrets, which was probably good.  Note to self – next time, avoid anger AND self pity. 

Failure can’t define my future.  I made mistakes.  I exercised poor judgment.  I didn’t plan real well.  I lacked skill I needed.  I failed.  The temptation is to say, ‘never again!  My maintenance days are over’.  But failure today can’t drive my decisions tomorrow.  I know something else will break, or need to be replaced, and I’ll need to be ready to strap on the tool belt and get to work.  That’s life.  It’s part of being a man. 

Sometimes God simply wants to show us our limits.  In 2 Corinthians 12:10 the Apostle Paul writes,  For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.  This right after he talks about his thorn in the flesh.  I’m not sure what Paul’s thorn in the flesh was, but I imagine it put some serious limits on what he considered important for him to do.  My calamities aren’t like his, but I do know that God can lovingly reveal my weaknesses if for no other reason than to remind me that I have them – for the sake of Christ.  That’s when I realize grace is sufficient.

And I guess that means things work out right after all (Rom. 8:28).

 

 

Posted by Andy Farmer

At the end of his excellent book, In Christ Alone, Sinclair Ferguson includes a letter written by a close friend and colleague from Westminster Seminary, Dr. Al Groves.  It is a letter written by Dr. Groves to be read at his own memorial service.  In the last stages of a battle with cancer, Dr. Groves looked to those he would leave behind.  Gentlemen, read this excerpt from the letter and ask yourself, ‘if I could speak to the people attending my funeral, what would I say?’. 

As I have walked through the valley of the shadow of death, I have walked hand in hand with Jesus, the one who has already walked through that valley and come out the other side, alive, raised from the dead.  And as I hold his hand and trust him, I too am raised with him, for this was his purpose in walking that path: to raise those who trusted in him.  His rod and staff, his cross of suffering, have become my comfort.
            Now as I have died, I come before the God, the king of the universe, and I come in Christ.  He chose to suffer and die on the cross in my place, so that on account of him I might have forgiveness from sin and victory over death.  And now I have received the resurrection and eternal life that has been my only hope, past, present, and forever….
            Through all my life, Christ has been constant.  Even as I have grown and changed, he is still the one whom I loved that first day.  And nothing ever changed in how I came to him; every day of my life the story is the same: I have come to God in Christ.  His love for me has been steadfast, and he has pursued me through every time I have turned way from him and every time I have returned.  The constant prayer of my heart for my own life and the lives of those around me has been that we would see Jesus, and that he would be welcome and present among us.
            There may be some here who have never trusted Christ for life, who have never known that he is the answer to the sin and death in our lives.  I urge you to consider the claims he made to being the Son of God, to consider that he didn’t stay dead and sends a message down through the ages that there is life in him and him alone.  His death on a cross, humiliating though it seemed, was his glory, but which he has defeated our true enemies – sin and death.  By the ultimate sacrifice he made, he humiliated all powers arrayed against him.
            If you struggle with faith, let me encourage you that in the hardest moments I have faced, he has been there.  And death has been defeated.  I am in Christ, as you are in Christ.  So let us live out of the grace we have received.  Let us live out of Christ.  This means looking daily for him, asking him to open your eyes to him, and embracing what you see.
           Seek him with all your heart.  Love him with all your heart.  Love those he loves with all your heart, even to the laying down of your life for him.  Jesus, the way, the truth, the life.  In no other do we have hope.  But in him we have hope that endures forever.  We grieve, but we grieve with hope.  The hope of a resurrection; the hope of life eternal.  Together with Jesus.
            For most of my Christian life I have wanted to see Jesus face to face, to join in with the heavenly chorus in his presence around his royal throne and declare his praise in new ways.  Something else has grown through the years: an abiding sense that this is not for me alone.  Being with Jesus myself is not what he wants, nor is it what I want.  To be there with you all, those he loves and those I have come to love, that is true joy.  I have often thought of coming to heaven as Jesus standing at the finish line of a race waiting those looking for him, trusting in him, pursuing him.  But it isn’t a race for me to finish first or alone.  It has always been a race for us to finish together, arm in arm, having encouraged one another in faith.
            He is good.  From the beginning, his steadfast love has endured.  It endures forever.  He is a gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love.  Trust in him with all your heart, for he is faithful.

As quoted in Sinclair Ferguson.  In Christ Alone.  235-237

Posted by Andy Farmer

In a counseling class I took recently we had to take two personality tests.  If you’ve never taken one before they’re unnerving.  You answer about fifty questions that seem pointless, but you know they have some mystical significance because they are on the test.  Anyway, you take the test and submit your answers and out there somewhere there is some person or thing that analyzes you and sends you back an analysis of who you really are.  It’s actually kind of fun in a creepy way. 

My personality tests revealed that self-satisfaction, self-regard, and self-actualization are my emotional strong suits.  Another test revealed that I’m an ISTP (Introverted, Sensing, Thinking, Perceiving) personality type that would indicate that my ‘need for personal space…has an impact on…relationships with others’ (as indicated by the Test analysis).  So, apparently, objective mystical analysis reveals I’m very happy with my life if I’m the only one in it. 

The problem is, of course, that I’m not the only one in my life.  God has seen fit to crowd my life with other personality types.  Many of them, especially my wife and children, I can’t imagine having life without.  But it seems like there are certain personality types, I’ll call them LIAPS’s (Likely to Infringe on Andy’s Personal Space), that don’t mix well with my personal space.  At these times I can have a different kind of personality test.  I’ve discovered that I’m a Happy Self person in my Happy- Self world. 

But I’m also a Christian, and that’s something else entirely.  Jesus calls me to lay down my life for others, to pick up the burdens of others that I would rather not pick up, to willingly expose myself to the pain of others.  These are characteristics of love, because they are characteristics of Christ.  And that doesn’t really fit with my Happy-Self.  My Happy-Self needs to (according to my personality test results) “spread out – both physically and psychologically – and I can become inflexible when relationships seems to be threatening my lifestyle”.  The truth of the matter is that, when it comes to my well being or the well being of another, well, let’s just say it’s not a clear cut decision for me.  Therein lies my problem with love. 

Love is essential to being a Christian but it is inconvenient for a Happy-Self person like me.  It’s not that I won’t do loving things; I often do.  That’s not the battle.  The battle is when loving requires some sacrifice to Happy-Self.  Unfortunately my primary strategy is to see if I can accomplish both – to love while at the same time keeping Happy-Self happy.  I can want to love; I fake it a lot better than I do it. 

But vastly more significant is what underlies the call to love – the call of Christ himself.  Ever since my conversion I have been amazed at what it means to be ‘loved by God’.  The price paid for my sins (which were very familiar to me) in the death of the Savior; and my adoption into the family of God as a joint heir with Jesus of God’s eternal blessings have captivated my heart.  The power of 1 John 4:19, “We love because He first loved us”, is life to me.  There is no natural capacity in my Happy-Self to love God or others.  But there is abundant and eternal capacity to love in Christ.  I stand in Christ able to love in spite of my Happy-Self.  And because I am in Christ, my feeble, mixed motive efforts of love are blessed by God; smiled upon by the one who loved me with a perfect love.  And slowly but surely he is killing my Happy-Self, and forming in me a Glory-Self – one whose happiness is wrapped up in living for the glory of God.  Happy-Self won’t die easily, and a considerable amount of my energy is still spent keeping him healthy and well fed.  But love conquers self, happy or otherwise, because God is love.

Posted by: Andy Farmer

In the book we’re featuring this week, "Worldliness: Resisting the Seduction of a Fallen World" (you can order it at a special sale price at ginormous sale), Pastor Craig Cabaniss offers some great questions for people of all ages in how they relate to media. 

Heart Questions

• Why do I want to watch this program or film?  What do I find entertaining about it?
• Am I seeking to escape from something I should be facing by watching this?  Am I seeking comfort or relief that can be found only in God?
• What sinful temptations will this program or film present?
• Do I secretly want to view something in it that’s sinful?  Am I deceiving myself by saying “I’ll fast-forward through the bad parts”?
• Similarly, am I telling myself, “I’ll just visit this web site once, and I won’t click on any other links I find there”?
• Am I watching because I’m bored or lazy?  If so, what does that reveal about my heart?
• Am I watching simply because others are?  Am I trying to be relevant or to fit in?
• How have my online relationships impacted my face-to-face relationships?  How has my online activity impacted my soul?  For better or worse?
• What motivates me to create and maintain a blog, MySpace, or Facebook presence?  Am I attempting to impress others?  Am I being prideful, slanderous, deceitful, or self-righteous?

Here is some additional perspective from Russell Moore on children and cell phones.

And from Al Mohler on social networking (Facebook, etc.) sites.

Posted by: Andy Farmer

Here’s a little quiz on discipleship. 

First, read through the statements below about what it means to be a disciple. 

• A disciple doesn't go and learn something and then perform it.  A disciple develops godliness through application in real life over time.
• A disciple doesn’t bother to compare himself with others.  Who he is and what he does in light of what he should be and do is enough of a concern for him.
• A disciple is willing to have others observe his life
• A disciple doesn't mind being considered odd by others.

Second, watch the short video which you can access from this link (courtesy of Stephen Altrogge at The Blazing Center):  The Incredible Slingshot Man

Third, think about this:  If I could learn one thing about being a disciple from the Slingshot Man, what would it be?  (Hint – the statements above are a good place to start)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted by: Andy Farmer 

Lori Snyder sent me the article below this week.  It was taken from the Truth Project web site at Focus on the Family (charity get this link).  You can look at the original ESPN article as well

 

As we endure the bloated hype of another Superbowl week, hoping the game isn’t overwhelmed in the process, here’s a reminder of what can at the other end of the field.  

High school football is big in America.   But I suppose there is no place where it is bigger than in Texas. Friday nights there are legend.

The fans scream; the stands are packed; cheerleaders with pom-poms jump and sway to the beat of the school band; parents yell encouragement (mostly); mom's turn their eyes away when their little boys are crunched by the "bullies on the other team who didn't really have to hit him that hard, did he?" and everybody joins in the chants and stomps their feet on the metal stands until you are sure they will collapse.

This is the frenzy of Texas high school football.

However, there is a football team in Texas that is a little different. When they play on Friday night, their stands are pretty much empty, no band, no cheerleaders, no mass of parents or townsfolk wearing the school colors and waving banners and flags. They take the field without anyone cheering them on. When they get a first down, there is no deafening surge from the stands. When they score a touchdown, which rarely happens, there is no wild celebration behind them…only the individual shouts of satisfaction that come from the 14 players and their coach and the 20 or so people that are sitting on their side of the field. All of it seems hollow and muffled in contrast to the tidal wave of roars and drums and chants that come from the opposing side.

They are the Tornadoes of the Gainesville State School, a fenced, maximum-security facility of the Texas Youth Commission. The young men who go to Gainesville State are there because they have made some major mistakes in their lives. But the players who are on the team are there because they have worked hard and have disciplined themselves to meet the "criteria" that gives them the privilege to leave the facility and play football on Friday nights—always an away game for them—always a home game for their opponents—and almost always a loss. They don't have a weight program or training equipment or high-paid coaches and assistants. They don't have a large pool of players to draw from. The school has 275 boys, but many are too old or too young or can't or don't meet the "criteria" to play. And they don't have the support of a town and a mass of parents and family and reporters and bands and cheerleaders.

That is, until November 7th. Something changed. They played Grapevine Faith Christian School.

The way the Gainesville coach, Mark Williams, recounted it for me, it went something like this: Earlier in the week, he had received a call from Faith Christian coach, Kris Hogan, asking him if it would be okay if Faith formed a "spirit" line for his team when they ran on the field. Mark said, "Sure, that would be a real encouragement to the kids." He thought that the line would consist of a couple of the JV cheerleaders, but when they took the field, there were a hundred people in it and it stretched to the 40-yard line, filled with Faith parents, fans and varsity cheerleaders, complete with a banner at the end for them to burst through that read "Go Tornadoes!". And then, those parents and fans sat in the stands behind the Gainesville players and when the Tornadoes broke the huddle and went up to the line they could hear people cheering for them, by name. When they got a first down, "their" fans erupted.

You see, coach Hogan had sent an email out to the Faith Christian family asking them to consider doing something kind for these young men, many who didn't know what it meant to have a mom and dad who cared, many who felt the world was against them, not for them. Hogan asked that they simply send a message that these boys were "just as valuable as any other person on earth."

So half of the Faith Christian fans were now sitting on the visitor's side of the field, cheering for the Gainesville team, and in some cases, against their own sons.
–Cheering for a team decked out in old uniforms and helmets.
–Cheering for boys who wouldn't go home that night and have a smiling dad slap him on the back and feel his mom put her arms around him and say "I'm so proud of you son!"
–Cheering for the underdog.

Though the score was familiar (down 33-0 at half-time), this was a Friday night like no other for the Tornadoes. In the locker room, the players were confused.
"Why are they cheerin' for us, coach?"
"Because, men, they want to encourage you. They want you to know that they care about you…that you have value."
Coach Williams said the boys were stunned. For many of these kids, it may have been the first time that anyone had shown them, so visibly, unconditional love.

Williams then encouraged them to set a goal for the second half: to score a touchdown. And when they took the field again, with their fans cheering them on, they did. Williams said, "Everything started to click in the

second half. Our passes started to click. Our sweeps and counters started to click." And they did score. Two touchdowns.

And the fans went wild.

I asked Coach Williams what the bus ride was like on the way home and he laughed and told me that they were all asleep—their bellies were full. After the game, the parents brought a whole bunch of food over to the guys: hamburgers, fries, candy, sodas…and included in the meal sack was a Bible and a letter of encouragement from a Faith Christian player. But then, he said, they formed a line for us out to the bus. And the parents patted them on the back and said, "Nice game" and "Look forward to seeing you guys next time."

The phone went dead at this point. I think Coach Williams was choking back some tears. And so was I.

I asked him one final question: "If you could tell other people one thing about your kids, what would it be?" He said, "Don't be scared of them. Treat them with respect. Yes, they've made some mistakes, but they are trying their best to turn their life around. Give 'em a shot at it."

As they left the field that night, Coach Williams grabbed Coach Hogan and said to him: "You'll never know what your people did for these kids tonight. You'll never, ever know."

When the world looks at a Christian, the number one thing they should see is what was shown on a high school football field last fall in Texas.

Jesus said: "Let your light shine among men is such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven."

Let us do so.

Thanks to Coach Hogan for caring and sending that email.
Thanks to Coach Williams for his dedication and love for his guys.

Posted by: Tim Ashford
 
It’s been awhile, maybe years, since I’ve read anything by my historical hero.  Recently, I went back to rediscover what originally got me jazzed.  Wow; this stuff is incredible.  I’ve never read anyone so overwhelmed and dazzled by the God-man Christ Jesus.  I get so familiar with the Lord, and easily lose my grasp of the glory of our Savior.  It’s time to climb the mount of transfiguration again, and have the roof blown off my concept of God. 

Nobody does that for me like Samuel Rutherford.  He’s not exactly a household name.  He was Scottish, born in a farm family in the 1600’s.  He studied at Old St. Andrews and became a Presbyterian pastor.  Rutherford was a significant participant in the Westminster Assembly.  Interestingly, one of his published works which attacked the divine right of earthly kings and proclaimed God the only true sovereign became one of the significant underlying theories of modern democracy.  He died being chased down by the English monarchy (no wonder) saying that he couldn’t appear before the royal prosecutor because he had a prior summons before the Holy Judge.   

Not much is left of his pastoral writing and works except his letters.  But what letters!  Spurgeon valued them as much as anything outside the Bible.  Rutherford was a pastor, but had been exiled from his congregation due to persecution.  He wrote to his congregants from there.  The thing that hit me for the first time the other day was to realize, wow, we still have these letters!  The people he wrote to obviously felt that he had something eternally valuable to say.  The letters survived long enough for someone to come along much later and collect them, so that they could be preserved in a single volume.  Here is a sample from a letter I just read:

O, come all and drink at this living well; come, drink and live forevermore; come, drink and welcome; welcome says our fairest Bridegroom; no man finds any ill will in Christ; no man comes and is not welcome; no man comes and regrets his voyage; all men speak well of Christ, who have been with Him; men and angels who know Him will say more than I now do, and think more of Him than they can say.

Before you go to Amazon and think about buying the book (there are at least two actually), I’ll warn you that he gets a little dense, due to obscure Scottish words.  My wife kindly bought me a short, abridged version of some of his letters, called “The Loveliness of Christ”, edited by Sinclair Ferguson, which just came out in 2007.  It’s very short and very readable.  You can find it here.  I’m so thankful for the heroes that went before us who inspire our faith, and lately, especially, for Samuel Rutherford.

Posted by: Andy Farmer

At exactly noon on September 23, 1857 a small group of six businessmen gathered together in the upstairs classroom of an old church in New York City.  This small lunch hour prayer meeting yielded little in the way of evident power.  But the faithful men decided to meet the following week to pray – again.  The group grew to about 40 by October 14.  On that afternoon the worst financial crisis in the history of the country to that date was unfolding.  In the midst of the panic God invaded the little prayer meeting and within a few weeks over three thousand people from all walks of life were gathering.  And within six months the City of New York was seeing ten thousand people gathering daily for prayer throughout the City.  The Fulton Street Revival was a two year visitation of the Spirit that rejuvenated churches across the nation and across denominations. 

In the history of the church revivals come rarely and unexpectedly.  But when they do come they have always come from the faithful efforts of small groups of praying people.  Charles Spurgeon gives us the heart of the saint in prayer for revival.

“Coming events cast their shadows before them, and when God is about to bless his people his coming favour casts the shadow of prayer over the church.  When he is about to favour an individual he casts the shadow of hopeful expectation over his soul.  Our prayers, let men laugh at them as they will, and say there is no power in them, are the indicators of the movement of the wheels of Providence.  Believing supplications are forecasts of the future, He who prayeth in faith is like the seer of old, he sees that which is to be: his holy expectancy, like a telescope, brings distant objects near to him.” - Charles Spurgeon, The Holy Spirit’s Intercession

Isaiah 57:15  For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.

Posted by: Andy Farmer

Hi Gents.  If you’re catching this blog, chances are you’re like me.  We woke up this morning and everything seemed pretty much the same – except a big calendar page flip occurred just a few hours ago.  We’re probably packing a few extra pounds from holiday indulgences.  We’re just about to hit the ground running as we head back to work and all those things that were part of ‘next year’ that now have become part of ‘right now’.  So let me give you five simple tips for a successful start to the New Year.  None are profound, and all are easy to do.

1. Find some way to get a good quiet time in today.
2. Only make one resolution, and make it something you can actually complete in January
3. If you still use paper checks, write ‘2009’ in the year column of the first 10 checks, until you get used to the New Year.
4. Try to do one completely others-centered thing today – something that the other person will recognize as your expression of kindness, affection, gratefulness, or respect.
5. Psych yourself up by watching the two minute video that Stephen Altrogge came across in his blog, The Blazing Center.  Like Stephen, we don’t endorse all the movies referenced here, but this is really well done and you’ll certainly get the point.

Happy New Year!

Posted by: Mark Prater

This Christmas Season we thank God for the opportunity to serve the families of Covenant Fellowship Church and to build our lives together as couples and families in the mercy and grace of God.

That man should be made in God's image is a wonder,

but that God should be made in man's image is a greater wonder.
That the Ancient of Days would be born?
That He who thunders in the heavens should cry in the cradle?"
~Thomas Watson~

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Posted by: Jason Russell

I’m reading through the gospel of Mark these days and a particular section really stood out to me.  In Chapter 4:35-41 Mark explains the account of Jesus and the disciples in their boats on the Sea of Galilee.  Jesus, exhausted from ministering to the masses, falls asleep while a fierce storm rages and causes the disciples to panic.  Jesus is woken up with accusing remarks from his closest friends that He is uncaring for the safety of their lives.  After rebuking the wind and the waves, Jesus turns to rebuke His followers.  “How can you be in such disbelief?”  At first glace it appears Jesus is a bit harsh with these guys.  Being that some of them were experienced fishermen, their reaction to the storm is telling.  They honestly thought their lives were in jeopardy and were fearful of death.  This was no small storm.  They, however, forgot who was in the boat with them.  They had been with Christ for some time now.  They saw His power and ability to perform miraculous things.  He was obviously no ordinary prophet.  Yet the disciples still had trouble trusting Him.

I see myself here.  Having walked with Jesus for a little while now I’ve seen Him do amazing things in my life and in the lives of those I love.  Still, though, I can be found doubting His control of and care for my life and it doesn’t even take a life threatening nautical experience.  Just give me a night that doesn’t go my way or an unexpected car repair and I can respond with, “Lord, don’t you care about what’s going on here?”  That’s why I am grateful for this loving rebuke of Jesus in Mark’s gospel.  I think the Scriptures show us that Jesus had plans to make something out of these men and that He wanted them to learn faith in the severest of trials.  He was forming them into men who could glorify their Father in heaven by maintaining a trust in their God when all around them seemed to fail.  The truth is, He’s still making men like that today.         

As followers of Christ we need the loving discipline of our Savior.  Hebrews tells us that God rebukes and disciplines those whom He receives as sons (see Heb. 12:3-13).  It is a comfort to know that divine discipline is always done in love and it always achieves its purpose: righteous, Christ-like, God-glorifying lives.  So, whether the boat’s filling up with water or the car needs another $500 repair, may we respond in faith and humbly cry out to Jesus:  “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you” (Ps. 56:3).

Posted by: Brian Vanderweide

Billy Graham recently celebrated his 90^th birthday.  He was born when Woodrow Wilson was president and World War One was coming to an end.  He has lived a long life.  But it isn’t simply the number of his days that is worthy of attention, but how Billy has numbered his days. In a recent interview he described his view on growing old.

Someone said to me recently that the most exciting part of his day was waking up and discovering what was hurting today that didn't hurt yesterday!  Sometimes I can relate to that.  But seriously, I'm thankful for each day, and I'm thankful for the measure of health I do have.Every day is a gift from God, no matter how old we are.

Here is a man who once traveled the world, preached the gospel to more than two billion people and counseled presidents, but can now rarely leave his home due to multiple hip replacements, prostate cancer and Parkinson’s disease.  He remains grateful for the health he has and considers every day a gift.  His words and example convict me. 

I've discovered that just because we'll inevitably grow weaker physically as we get older, it doesn't mean we must grow weaker spiritually.  In fact, we ought to be growing stronger spiritually, because our eyes ought to be on eternity and Heaven—on the things that really matter.

There’s his secret.  The decline of our physical life does not mean our spiritual life must decline.  In fact, aging is a tool God uses to bring death into view so that we see beyond death to eternity and Heaven.  This should have a wonderful, sanctifying effect on our attitude towards aging.  Consider how Billy turns weakness of old age into strength.

One of the things I miss most is that I can no longer read, due to age-related macular degeneration… it is hard for me to pick up my Bible and read it like I used to, and I miss that very much.  But I probably pray as much now as at any time in my life, if not more—not just definite times of prayer, but all during the day.

This is a vivid picture of the heart of wisdom that Moses petitioned God for in Psalm 90.  It comes from the ‘numbering of days.’

As I've looked at my own life, and the lives of others, I've come to realize that the time to prepare for old age isn't when it arrives.  By then it may be too late.  The time to prepare for old age emotionally and spiritually is before it hits us.

How am I preparing for old age – and eternity beyond?  How are you?  May our answers be similar to our mission as a church: Treasuring, Proclaiming and Growing in Christ until that day when we see Him face to face.

Happy birthday Billy, and thank you.

Posted by: Tim Ashford

The situation is pretty familiar. The time is well after dinner, and my kids are buzzing around. “OK guys, time to get ready for bed.” My mind drifts to that moment when they will all be quietly tucked in, with lights out, so that I can grab a few strategic minutes to get something else done. Things typically move more slowly than I would like, and I start to feel the fatigue of the day. With PJ’s on and teeth brushed, I announce, “Alright, hop in bed and turn your lights out.” A voice comes back, “What about family devotions, Dad?”

Oh yeah. Resisting the temptation to pretend I didn’t hear, I gather the kids up so we can share the Word of God and prayer together. The time together takes us later than I would have liked, but it is sweet, and I walk away reflecting a bit.

• First, I remember that time in the Word of God with their father is the primary means of grace that my kids have. Some of them can’t read yet, and even when they do they wind up with so many questions. What an amazing privilege it is to lead them gently toward Christ and Him crucified as God’s answer to our greatest need.

• Second, I think of how kind it is of God to supply us Dads with so many resources for leading our children into grace and truth. It makes it so much easier to get started each night. When we are not doing God’s Story by Marty Machowski, my kids and I are currently going through Randy Alcorn’s book, Heaven for Kids. My oldest can’t wait for these times, because there are so many references to Narnia, which she loves. I usually let her read these sections. Not only Narnia, but also Alcorn’s vivid illustrations, make it easy to draw kids into a discussion of eternal things. We’ve read other great stuff, plenty of which is in the church bookstore, like Big Truths for Little Kids or Dangerous Journey.

• Third, I realize that we are building a routine into our kids’ lives. I don’t mean something mechanical. When we give our kids hugs on the way out the door for work, or just before bed, they come to expect hugs. They will come to expect regular interaction with God too, if we make this a regular pattern when they’re young.

• Fourth, I think of how we Dads are called to provide for our kids. Sure, I love to provide fun parks and wholesome entertainment when I can, but the most lasting contribution I’ll ever make is inspiration. I don’t want to dazzle them with HD; I want to dazzle them with God! My kids have been inspired by seeing God’s grace at work in David Livingstone, as he courageously wrestles a lion with his bare hands…or in Harriet Tubman, as she absorbs incredible personal cost to go back to the pre-Civil War South time and again to rescue slaves. Best of all, we talk about the King of Glory, who incarnated as a son of man, offering up his body and soul, so that we could become sons of God!

• Lastly, I realize that the effect of all this is slow but cumulative. If we keep leading our kids this way, little by little, we build a legacy. Even now I see glimpses of this at the dinner table when a child makes a connection between one of the bad guys that Christian faces in Dangerous Journey, and his own temptations.

I finish reflecting on these things, and head back downstairs. Freshly inspired myself, I keep those devotions coming.

Posted by: Andy Farmer

This past weekend a number of the pastors, and some of the other folks in the church, attended the annual conference sponsored by The Christian Counseling and Education Foundation (CCEF). This year the theme was “The Addict in Us All”. It was an outstanding time of instruction on a biblical understanding of addictions and how God works to free people from addictive behaviors. We learned that ‘addictions’ are complicated and life-controlling habits that root, not primarily in our genetic disposition or social environment, but in our idolatrous hearts.

As you can see from the conference title, we also learned that there is not as much difference between the normal Christian and the out-of-control addict. As David Powlison remarked, "Addiction and Religion are words that are defined in very similar ways. Both communicate devotion to something that shapes our lives and defines our pursuits and commitments."

I spent much of the time pondering my own idolatrous and addictive tendencies. Here are some things I heard that the Lord used to go after my self-sufficient and self-righteous heart, by reminding me that there is nothing ‘addiction-proof in me. See if you can identify with me:

Ed Welch, biblical counselor and neurobiologist: ‘Commitment to a lie becomes voluntary slavery.’

• What lies about me and God do I tolerate that in fact leads to me submitting myself to voluntary slavery to something that isn’t true?

Mark Driscoll, pastor of a church that ministers to an urban area where addictions are a basic reality of life: We not only seek after false gods, we set up false heavens, places where we can live in personal peace, untainted by the sin around us. When we are in our personal heaven, we are ok if everyone else is living in hell.

• What are the little ‘heaven cocoons’ I set up in life where I escape into myself away from others and their suffering in the reality of life?

Mark Driscoll: People who struggle with addiction are usually aware of the effects of their sin on others, but can have difficulty in seeing the effect of sin on God.

• When I sin, do I keep things on a horizontal level, clean up the mess and try to get past my ‘stumble’ as quick as possible? Or do I realize that I can’t presume that God will cover my sin if I never acknowledge it is against him?

Mike Emlet, Biblical Counselor and Medical Doctor: Physiological issues of addiction include pleasure achievement (something makes me feel good, or keeps me from feeling bad), dependence (need for the drug to avoid withdrawal), tolerance (need of greater quantities to achieve same effect), and withdrawal (bodily reaction to the absence of the drug.

• Isn’t this essentially what happens in my life? For example, when I’m driving in the car and get bored with the silence (usually by the time I get out of my driveway), do I crank on the radio by habit, so I can stop being bored (pleasure/pain avoidance drive)? Do I feel the need to have the radio on every time I’m in the car (dependence)? Am I willing to tolerate listening to things that might not be spiritually edifying because the stuff I used to listen to is boring to me now (tolerance)? If someone else is in the car and would rather talk, do I keep looking at the radio hoping they get tired of talking (withdrawal)? How many other areas would I show myself to be at least a minor league addict?

Jeff Black, Biblical Counselor, Psychologist and Pastor specializing in Addictions Counseling. All addictive behaviors work. They give us what we want or feel we need at the point of desire. The issue is ‘at what cost?’

• I think this helps me see one of the reasons ‘waiting on the Lord’ is not just something we have to do, but something that is essential to the life of faith. The immediate is the realm of sensual craving; the eventual is the realm of biblical thirst for God.

By Andy Farmer

Stephen Altrogge at www.theblazingcenter.com gives us seven reasons he’s glad God created women. Funny thing is, I wouldn’t have come up with any of his seven reasons, but I can’t argue with a single one. Which only goes to show how important my wife is to me. Check out Stephen’s Seven here. And don’t miss the accompanying videos. You’ll identify!

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.