A Real, Risen, Reigning, Returning King

If he's real but not reigning, he can't help me. If he's risen but not real, he's just a good story. If he's not risen, he can't return. But if he returns, then he proves that he is Real, he is Risen, and he Reigns. By faith we trust that he is real, risen, and reigning, and we look for his final return as the end of the age.

I used to work with an amazingly sweet lady who believed that Jesus saved her from herself and from messes, but that any further salvation was unnecessary. She did not live in the fear of the Lord, but brought great shame to the name she claimed to bear. Jesus is not a fake-savior or wishful thinking or an inspiring story. He is not merely a threat to make bad people live in fear or a sweet story to make good people not fear. He is the Creator of the universe. He is the author of our salvation.

Hebrews 2 says, "we do not yet see everything in subjection to him." But we DO see that the other things spoken about him all came to pass, guaranteeing the completion of his work. He has not lied to us--every past deed is proof of his future deeds. When the time was right, he came as a man. When the next time is right, he will come again to judge the living and the dead. His word is good and cannot fail, and so we trust in our blessed hope.

How often we live like he is not real, or not risen, or not reigning, or not returning. We talk a lot about him, about his resurrection and reign. But how many of our conversations dwell on his return? How does his glorious, triumphant return define and change our lives?

Drawing Near with Boldness

Pastor Tim's message on Sunday held up the early Christians before us as an example of true, fervent worshipers. Jerome, a believer in the 4th century, looked back at those early believers and said, "The blood of Christ was yet warm in their veins."

The need for passionate reverence (or reverent passion) is an interesting one. Most of the time when we see passionate people, they aren't reverent (picture football fans). And many times reverence comes without passion--I distinctly remember being 4 or 5 years old at my great-aunt Peg's funeral. I was terrified into reverence by the open casket, but I had never even met my great-aunt and felt no emotion toward her at all.

The seraphim in the throneroom of heaven have need to cover their faces, even as they cry, "Holy, holy, holy!" That is how great God is. As C.S. Lewis put it and Pastor Tim quoted, "He's not a tame lion, you know." He's not safe. He's not under our thumbs. He is the sovereign Lord who created the universe. So why should we sing and dance and clap before such a fearsome being?

Because of Christ, we have the forgiveness of sins. That is why we can not only dare to approach him--Hebrews 4 says that we can confidently and boldly draw near. The Spirit is the seal of our adoption, and we can now call God our Father. This is no longer a mere creature-Creator relationship wherein our proper response is fear and reverence. We are now daughters of God, people called by his name. That inspires joy and glee in his presence. How can we not forget ourselves and love on him?

The Gospel is not just for now--whatever fears or insecurities or inhibitions we have that would keep us from dancing before the Lord will all be removed when we enter eternity. There we will not be hindered by anything, but our love for him will finally be what it ought. For now, because of Jesus, let us boldly draw near to the throne, where we can ask him for the grace to become true, impassioned worshipers.

What would an unbeliever think about your relationship with God if she saw you worshiping? What is the fear that would keep you from worshiping as you want to, and what can you do to overcome it?

Pole Sitting

There was a very holy man in the 5th century, remembered in the church as Saint Simeon Stylites. He gained extensive fame as a holy man by spending thirty-three years living on top of a ten-foot pole. He was up there by himself until the day he died. He had a few other kooky ideas, too.

People flocked to see him, seeking a few words of wisdom from the man so holy he would live on a pole. I'm not sure I make the connection. Chances are, you're smiling at the idea, which just proves Pastor Steve's message on Sunday: fellowship is what Christians do.

Remember: True devotion to Christ must be evidenced by consistent devotion to Christians!. It's a supernatural fellowship, drawing its source from the Gospel. Fellowship with God is the fuel for fellowship with one another.

The Gospel defines our fellowship--it's sharing with our fellow-believers the things that God has made known to us about himself. In fellowship we are dependent on Jesus and on the grace that comes to us through one another. Fellowship is giving and receiving, the way that the eye serves the hand and the hand serves the eye.

The Gospel determines fellowship's goals: obedience, sanctification, and unity. Our first goal is obedience to the commands of God, which includes the 'one anothering' commands. In sanctification God uses other people to conform us into the image of Christ. We need to be unified the way that individual stones come together and fit to form one building.

So what do you think about these points? Are we as women committed to this kind of fellowship? Or do we have our own personal poles that we're sitting on, separating ourselves from each other in a pretense of holiness? Or perhaps we are the ones at the bottom of the pole, looking up in admiration at the holy one sitting up there, not daring to approach, not hoping to measure up. Let's not be so silly.

The Hiding Place (3)

One of my favorite lessons in the Hiding Place is when Betsie determines to thank God in obedience to 1 Thessalonians 5:18 - give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you..

They have just arrived at a concentration camp in the heart of Germany. Conditions are brutal. If it were me, I might choose to forget that 1 Thess. 5:18 existed and go with an impreccatory Psalm, calling down divine fire on my enemies. But they offer thanksgiving, and at first they really do find legitimate things to be grateful for--they are together and they have a Bible. Under the circumstances, those things are miraculous.

Then Betsie thanks God for the fleas in the dorm. Can you imagine? Fleas were no more appealing then than they are today. And for months they suffer because of the fleas, until Betsie discovers that those disgusting fleas are the sole reason why she can hold a Bible study undisturbed. No guard would set foot in the dorm because of the fleas. Suddenly Corrie finds that she too, with a whole heart, can thank God for the fleas. God didn't change the fleas; he changed her heart to see the fleas as God's servants divinely placed to bring about Gospel-good.

God is sovereign over the big things. He's also sovereign over the tiny little things. In any situation, his word remains unchanged: rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

God the Sovereign Potter

Pastor Scott in his message on Sunday urged that if we take any one nugget away from his message, it would be the understanding that God is the Potter, free to do whatever he desires with whatever he created, which includes you and me. We are not ruled by chance, whim, or circumstance, but by the God who is so powerful that he created the universe. Since he is the creator of all, he has the right to do with any part of his creation whatever he desires.

We read on Sunday from Jeremiah 18 that God does not just reserve the right to intervene when he chooses, but that he is in total and complete control over all creation at all times. He is good and glorious, and the reverence that we owe him is not what an mere earthly tyrant demands. If we were not so blinded by sin and depraved in heart, mankind would find him irresistibly delightful. It is for our good that he reveals himself to us as Sovereign Lord.

Saturday night I finished reading a book by Philip Ryken called Courage to Stand (P&R, 2009). It is a walk through Jeremiah, and there are two passages from it that came to my mind when Pastor Scott preached on God the Potter. The first is a warning about the Potter, and the second is the comfort found in the Potter.

Jeremiah's message is about judgment. The picture of the pot on the potter's wheel is not meant to be comforting. Like much modern art, it is meant to be disturbing. Jeremiah's message is about clay in the hands of an agry Potter. If God can do whatever he wants, then he has the right to destroy you for your sins. God is the one who brought you into this world, and he can take you out of it. Until you recognize this, you have not fully reckoned with the sovereignty of God. (p. 101)


"No one has ever been able to make a clay pot that is just a clay pot. Every pot is also an art form. Pottery is always changing its shape as potters find new proportions, different ways to shape the pot in pleasing combinations of curves. There is no pottery that besides being useful does not also show evidence of beauty.... It is one of the most functional items in life; it is also one of the most beautiful." It takes a patient artist to make a pot that is beautiful as well as useful. It takes the kind of potter Jeremiah watched, one who refuses to give up on his work. When there was a flaw in the clay, he did not throw it away; he worked it into something else. (p. 107)

God's sovereignty cannot be treated lightly. Are you willing to submit to his complete control? Do you trust him to do his work well?

This question is rhetorical: who has the better point of view when looking at your life--you or God? Who therefore, of the two of you, is the only one qualified to direct your path?

The Hiding Place (2)

It's quite possible I'm the only person who's never read The Hiding Place.

I heard about it enough to figure that I pretty much knew the story already, but even a few pages in I realized I had no idea.

For some reason it was my understanding that the war took place while Corrie Ten Boom was a girl. I always thought that made for a pretty amazing story--a young girl being willing to risk her life when she had so much ahead of her. And then I found out that Corrie was actually around 50 when she first got involved with the Dutch underground. And I actually think that makes it even more compelling.

It's often said that when we're young, there's not a care in the world. As we age, we tend to get more stuck in our ways, more comfortable with how things are right now, and sometimes even really wrapped up in ourselves. Life isn't so much about play dates and friends and sleepovers and birthday parties anymore. So I feel like it's pretty commendable that in her older years, when it would have been easy for her to make the excuse that she needed to tend to her family, keep up with her father's watch business, etc., instead she stuck her neck out.

But I think Corrie might have been the first to say that her story didn't really reveal anything remarkable about her. Rather, it served to reveal the character of our remarkable God.

In the midst of at least twice giving her a vision of her fate (a cart carrying her and her family being drawn by four black horses), God also gave her the ingenuity, the strength, the perseverance, the will, and the selflessness to essentially run Haarlem's underground operation, and most importantly the faith to trust Him in all things.

May we not shrink back from the things we are called to do, whatever and whenever they might be, but instead embrace them under the covering of our loving, sovereign God.

The Hiding Place

If you've never read this book, you need to. This book is about two believing sisters who hide Jews from the Nazis. It is about their arrest and their imprisonment in a concentration camp. It is about God's call upon these lives to do the unthinkable. It's about God giving incredible amounts of courage, strength, ingenuity, love and divine protection.

It is also about their father. I love reading about Corrie and Betsy but after reading through this book a second time, I was especially drawn to "Father." This was a gentle watch salesman and repairman. He was a widower living with daughters. He was a godly man who was willing to risk everything (and he did) for God. His influence on the lives of his daughters is felt on every page.

Here's one example of the kind of wisdom he had in answering a difficult question from his little girl Corrie:

He turned to look at me, as he always did when answering a question, but to my surprise he said nothing. At last he stood up, lifted his traveling case from the rack over our heads, and set it on the floor.

'Will you carry it off the train, Corrie?" he said.

I stood up and tugged at it. It was crammed with the watches and spare parts he had purchased that morning.

"It's too heavy," I said.

"Yes," he said. "And it would be a pretty poor father who would ask his little girl to carry such a load. It's the same way, Corrie, with knowledge. Some knowledge is too heavy for children. When you are older and stronger you can bear it. For now you must trust me to carry it for you."

And I was satisfied. More than satisfied - wonderfully at peace. There were answers to this and all my hard questions - for now I was content to leave them in my father's keeping.

Wise words indeed. Oh that we would have wise words for our children that would equip them for the many dangers, toils and snares that await them in this world.

Quote

I don't have time to write a post this morning so I thought I'd share this quote taken from girltalk. The girltalk blog is definitely worth checking out these days as they are drawing from their archives to give us some simple but profound truths about marriage. Here's one:

[Feminism] is mixed up with a muddled idea that women are free when they serve their employers but slaves when they help their husbands. -- G.K. Chesterton, The Collected Works of G.K. Chesterton, vol. 4, p. 440

Are you a soldier?

An adorable little Chinese girl came up to me last night at work and asked me, "Are you a soldier?"

"I'm a soldier in God's army," I told her.

"Do you have weapons?"

I chatted with her for a few minutes about what kinds of weapons God gives us. Then she exhausted both her boldness and her questions and ran back to her friends.

What she didn't know is that I have been reading William Gurnall's classic The Christian in Complete Armour, a book based on Ephesians 6:10-18. It was a sweet reminder that this book, which is not easy on my flesh, is applicable to me. I am not wandering aimlessly through life, living by chance, but I am a soldier in the service of the conquering King. Here's just an excerpt from Gurnall that will hopefully encourage all of us.

The strength of an earthly general lies in his troops -- he flies upon their wings. If their feathers get clipped or their necks broken, he is helpless. But in the army of saints, the strength of the whole host lies in the Lord of hosts. God can overcome His enemies without help from anyone, but His saints cannot so much as defend the smallest outpost without His strong arm.

Even in acts of worship our strength is in the Lord. Consider prayer. Would we pray? Where will we find topics for our prayers? Alas, 'We know not what we should pray for as we ought' (Rom. 8:26). Let us alone, and we will soon pray ourselves into some temptation or other, and beg for the very thing God knows we should not have. To protect us, then, God puts words in our mouths (Hos. 14:2).

The same is true in hearing the Word. We have been instructed to hear the Word preached, but what will it profit unless God opens the ears of our understanding.

First the Spirit of God moves upon our spirit; then we know for a surety that our strength is in the Lord.

William Gurnall The Christian in Complete Armour, vol. 1, abridged by Ruthanne Garlock, et al. (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 2009) 34-36.

Tubby's

We just got home from Maine Saturday morning, 3:00 AM. Thank you all for your prayers for us while we were away. We missed you. We really did. But we did have a wonderful time. It was a time that was very complete.

Between camp ministry and spending time with my family our days were full but Tim and I sacredly guarded 3 days to ourselves to roam the mountains and coastline of Maine.

Now I am home and aware that I need to whip my body back into submission. Our van made a few too many stops at ice cream shops. Mainers have a love for ice cream. They have ice cream stands like we have WAWA.

Maybe it's because I was born in Maine that I enjoy ice cream so much. I'm not referring to store bought cartons of ice cream. I mean real homemade ice cream stand ice cream. Thankfully I have a husband who was only too eager to satisfy my craving.

One ice cream stand we discovered, stands above the rest. It is called, Tubby's. It was clean, attractive, creative and provided seating by a lake. Their ice cream was incredibly good, with both typical and unique flavors. And..... they offered free samples for as many flavors as one wanted!!! These samples were served in cute little 1" wafer cones (I got very excited about those).

Our first day there, after sampling some flavors and settling on my choice of Java Moreo I debated on whether to have a baby bear cone, or a Mama bear cone. Thankfully God gave me enough sense to know a Papa bear or a Tubby bear cone was out of the question. At first I chose a Mama bear, but then thought I'd downsize to a baby bear. Before my last bite I was regretting that decision. So the next day (that's right - the very next day), I went straight for the Mama bear size only this time I had Holy Moly (a combination of peanut butter and molasses - sounds weird but it is a sweet smooth peanut butter flavor).

Isn't God good to give us days of rest and days of feasting? And though I'm aware there were times when I ate more ice cream than I should have (next year I am determined to stick with the baby bear size), I'm thankful for daily grace to eat and drink with a thankful heart.

Safely Home (4)

In this last post about our first summer novel, Safely Home, I thought I'd share a few sections that really stuck out to me.

In this first passage, the martyrs in heaven are speaking to each other about the suffering of the church:

"Day and night the watchers cry out to our King, but still he has not moved his hand."

"He has moved his hand every moment of every day and in the darkest passes of night," Li Manchu said. "But not as we always wish, nor in ways clearly visible to us--and certainly not visible to them."

"But his is a throne of justice. How can justice be so long postponed?"

"His is also a throne of grace. The grace is not only to the persecuted, but to the persecutors. If the postponement of justice for one more day brings more image-bearers--whether persecuted or persecutors--to grace, so be it."

"You are right, of course. Even here, the waiting is not easy. But it is far harder for those still trapped in the Shadowlands."

"Yes. But with the King a thousand years is as a day. Ask the earth-dwellers a million years from now if their momentary suffering was an acceptable exchange for eternal glory." (248)

In this section, the King is having a conversation with the archangel Michael about the continued suffering of the church and withholding of judgment:

"The moment I bring justice and relieve all suffering is the moment earth's inhabitants' eternal destiny is sealed. Not one more shall be joined to me then. To 'end it all,' as you say, will also mean to end the offer of grace--a grace I delight to offer, a violent grace that cost me dearly."

"We do not want the wicked to go unpunished."

"They will not."

"We do not want the righteous to go unrewarded."

"They will not." ....

"We want your servants to be comforted."

"I comfort them every hour. And the day of eternal comfort will surely come, enfolding them like a warm blanket."

"Your servants wish also to take away the cause of your grief. for we see how you suffer the pains inflicted on your bride."

The King nodded. "Their passions are right and pure. I have borne my heartache as a choice. It too shall be relieved when the last of my suffering children is delivered." ....

"They cry out to you, day and night. They plead for your intervention, for your return. I hear many ask, 'Where is he? Does he not care? Why does he allow us to suffer?'"

The King sighed. "Too quickly do they summon providence to the court of reason. The night will last only so long before it is swallowed whole by the morning. The longer their night lasts, the more they dream of the dawn.... They don't understand that I am not only at work here, preparing a place for them, but I am at work there, preparing them for that place." (314-315)

And finally, just one quote from a conversation between Li Quan and his friend Ben Fielding:

"Temporary suffering is a small price to pay for eternal happiness." (318)

It may be a novel, but I will say that I learned a lot about the realities of the persecuted church, grace, forgiveness, and even God himself. We'd love to hear about what you've taken away from the book.

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We'll start our next summer novel, The Hiding Place, by Corrie Ten Boom, on Monday, July 26. Ask Bruce if he can get it, check it out at your local library, or pick it up from Amazon.

Motherhood

Please take a moment to check out this video from a somewhat new site called Deidox, which produces cinematic stories of the modern day Christian journey. This one goes out to all the moms.

http://deidox.com/films/dawn/

Walking with the Wise

Hey moms - looking for some new Bible-centered, gospel-saturated, truth-full tunes to add to your kids music library? Look no further than Sovereign Grace Music's newest kids album, Walking with the Wise. As the SGM music site says, "Walking with the Wise contains thirteen songs all inspired by Proverbs, and all meant to encourage kids to joyfully follow God’s commands." Sounds good to me!

We just downloaded the CD this weekend and let me tell you, I already think it's great. Here's a little sampling:

1. W-I-S-D-O-M

W-I-S-D-O-M spells wisdom, I need it
W-I-S-D-O-M in Your Word, I find it

2. Where It All Begins

Here's the key to every door
It is when we know the fear of the Lord

3. Nuggets of Gold

Your Word's got nuggets of gold
A treasure for my soul

4. Trust in the Lord

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding

5. Make Me Wise

Lord, I want to bring You glory
So I'm asking You to make me wise

6. A Good Friend

A friend will always think of others
A friend will overlook a wrong

7. I Don’t Have to Hide

Jesus died so I don't have to hide anymore

8. To Tell the Truth

You never break a promise
We can trust all You say

9. Lazy Bones

When we work to please the Lord
God will make our plans secure
And He'll be glorified in all we do

10. A Cheerful Heart

Oh Jesus fill me with Your joy
And I will sing Your praise

11. All Ears

When my mouth is jumping at something to say
I'll be all ears

12. A Generous Heart

God has shown us how to give
He offered up His Son so we might live

13. Who Can Say

No one's blameless in God's holy eyes
That's why the Savior came

Hmm... are they sure this is a kids CD? This music not only lays a solid foundation for my son, but encourages and lifts me up in the truths I've already experienced!

Do your kids and yourself a favor and get the CD today.

This Really Cute Story...

"There's this really cute story in the Bible. It's about this woman named Woman at the Well."


I saw a woman on TV say that last night, and I've had a stomachache ever since. The mental image I got (and some of you worldly people my age will catch this reference--let's repent together) was of Jessica Simpson and her mom shopping and saying "this is cute" about every single thing they liked, which was a lot.

Flip through the pages of Scripture. This is cute. Don't like that. This is cute. This is cute. Look at this--this is cute. No, I don't like that one--it makes me look like a sinner.

The Bible is not cute. Ever see a cute razor-sharp sword? The Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword. It pierces like a surgeon's scalpel, slicing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow. I've had surgery. It's not cute--it's bloody and painful and you don't just walk away from it, even if your surgeon is the best in the world. It discerns the thoughts and intentions of the heart. That's not cute. That's in the realm of can-I-please-find-a-mountain-to-fall-on-me-terrifying. We have nowhere to run and nowhere to hide from him to whom we must give account. We are completely exposed before God. God knows the depths of my sin. Cute?

Girls. Sisters. I'm so thankful that we are members of a church where we are exhorted to be skilled in the word. We can't let up. There is no excuse that can trump God's command to be skilled in the word of righteousness. It's easy to be sweet Christian girls and women, but sweet personalities will not lead us to the living Christ. We need to search the Scriptures for Christ, or we will lose touch with the real reality.

The Gospel is not a cute story. We are so wicked that it took the death of a perfect Messiah to atone for us. We need to guard our hearts and our minds, lest our understanding become trivial and commonplace. Babies are cute. The Lord Jesus Christ is unspeakably majestic. Summer dresses and sandals are cute. The Bible is a weapon of war. We are in a trench, not a department store. We are soldiers, not shoppers. We need ammunition, not another outfit. May God help us to be wise women, students of his word, believers of every word he has said!

Update on Ava

I've been keeping tabs on Ava's story since I first posted about it.

I love love love how the Hunter family is handling the situation. Just the other day, they put out a plea on their blog for a research team--basically anyone who could find any kind of GBM cancer treatment that had been done with any kind of success. The word from Josh (Ava's dad) is that they've received all of the resources they can handle and are officially shutting down the research team! They'll be combing over the details while they await a final diagnosis from the doctors and will be praying for wisdom in deciding upon the best course of action for Ava.

I wanted to share just a couple of excerpts from Josh's blog:

Many of you have asked us how Noah is doing. He is doing well. He is fully aware of the challenges ahead and is fired-up about being part of "Team Ava" as we readjust our lives to get her better. He is a great kid and loves his sister. He knows that "Hunters don't quit and Hunter's don't whine". Those two things have been built into him since he was born (just like they were in me)...they will serve him well. He's as ready as any 11 year old can be to join in the battle.

The Onc Doc came in today and said "It may be a few days before we have confirmation of the diagnosis." I said, "No problem, we aren't anxious or worried. It is what it is and we are gonna do what we have to do." He looked perplexed that I wasn't more concerned and then he left the room. What he doesn't know is that I trust God for Ava's health, not whatever plan he and his cohorts put together. God is the healer...the docs just help the body do what God created it to do. I think he forgot that today. All the best docs in the world can't heal a body that isn't supposed to be. They are mere men with an opinion. Granted, they went to school for a million years to form that opinion, but at the end of the day...it's all a best guess.

That's why leaning on God makes most sense. I don't mean sitting idle. I mean trusting Him to lead us on the right path for Ava. I care little who tells me I'm nuts if I am following what God has told me. I don't ever hear an audible voice, but I expect Him to open the doors that need to be open and close the ones that should be closed. My promise is to walk through the open ones with Lisa as we pursue healing for Ava.

Please keep praying for Josh, Lisa, Noah, especially Ava, and the entire Hunter family.

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UPDATE: Ava is home!

We reached milestone 1. Ava is well enough from her surgery to be on her own. We packed up the uhaul and left the hospital at about 1pm today. That was great to get out of there. Ava doesn't miss it one bit. That victory was enough to get us to this moment...the real work begins now.

The second part of the mission is to get Ava well and rid of cancer. Honestly, it's hard to even type that. We know the journey ahead is long and arduous. We pray that we will have the strength to lean on God each day and look for only what He wants from us for that day. I'm not very good at that. Fortunately, Lisa is. So, at least I have someone to look up to.

Safely Home (3)

How's the reading going?

I'll admit to falling into a similar trap as Gayline did - I have finished the book. An engaging book with long plane rides with long layovers will do that to you.

One thing I'm curious to know is what you've been learning about the persecuted church in China. I will admit to being totally unaware of the history behind the Boxers (mentioned in the book) and so I did a little bit of internet research while we were out in California last week. Tim and I had a great discussion about it.

If you don't know about the Boxers either, I suggest you look it up. Just google "Boxer Rebellion" or "Boxer Uprising." Surprisingly, wikipedia has quite a bit of good information.


So, what has reading Safely Home taught you about the persecuted church in China?


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We'd like to start our next book, The Hiding Place sometime in mid-July. Make sure to place your order with Bruce at the bookstore, or check it out an Amazon.

A Theology of Cherry Pie

Robbie and I went sour cherry picking on Monday, and last night I turned unappetizingly sour fruits into the most delicious pie filling. You would never want to sit down with a bowl full of sour cherries. They are so sour and tart. Even the most perfect-looking sour cherry is not tempting when you know what's on the inside.

But I took out their hard little hearts, those stony pits, and I washed them clean of the dust that clung to them. I added sugar to them, and after a little while on the stove, they were starting to smell pretty good. I added a cornstarch slurry, which isn't there because it tastes good but because without it, the cherries would just be a runny mess. A little cinnamon, a little almond extract, and these sour cherries are ready to be baked in a delicious, sweet pie.

I can't take much credit--God made the cherry and the sugar cane and the water I used for rinsing and the elements I used for cooking and the taste buds I use for tasting and the mind I used to follow the recipe. I can't make a cherry pie without his enabling. He is a creative, diverse, ordered, good God.

But what's even better is that God is doing to me what I did to the cherries.

Pray for Ava

I can't help but draw a connection between Psalm 4 and a recent development in the life of an acquaintance of mine.

My friend Joel's 5-year-old niece was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer just this week. I went to middle/high school with Joel, and his dad was my pastor for almost all of the years my family lived in Florida. They went in with her complaining of headaches and within 24 hours or so after a CAT scan she was in surgery to remove a tangerine sized tumor. The initial pathology shows that it is not only rare, but especially rare in children, and resistant to traditional methods of cancer treatment.

All that to say, even in the last 4 or 5 days it's been... encouraging? I don't even know what word to use... to see how each member of the family has responded to the crisis (I've been following Josh's blog--the father--and his brothers, Joel's and Isaac's blogs since I got home). They are admitting to deep despair and confusion but also deep trust and confidence in the love of God. As the notes in the ESV Study Bible state, Psalm 4 is a "perfect example of expressing trust amid troubling circumstances." David makes two urgent requests, but sandwiched between them is this recall of his past experience with God: "you have given me relief when I was in distress." The notes continue: "Past experience emboldens the faithful to confident prayer."

As I read on the father's blog today, they are praying and praying. Praying for healing here, but also knowing that there is perfect healing for her in another place, they are confident in a God who heals. Whether that same God chooses to heal in the here and now or in the world to come, one thing is for sure: He will comfort and strengthen them. And they rest in that as much as they can. They are godly people, like those mentioned in verse 3. The Hebrew used there for "godly" is the adjective form of "steadfast love." It means that they are people who trust in God's steadfast love.

Today in my reading from Beside Still Waters, Spurgeon says "God's thoughts are toward you. He is refining you, and He desires your highest good." God loves with a perfect love all those who are His.

Everything He does in our lives, even allowing cancer in our young child, is for our highest good.


Please pray for Ava, her parents Josh and Lisa, and the entire Hunter family.

Safely Home (2)

Our summer lineup of books has books that aren't so much discourses as they are stories. The beauty about them is that they are chock-full of theology, most of which we pick up without fully realizing. This month we are reading Randy Alcorn's Safely Home. Story? yes. Pure fiction? no.

Moms, have you considered taking advantage of "story" books by reading them out loud to your kids? My mom read books to us when we were kids. The book I most clearly remember is our book for next month, The Hiding Place, which gripped me and still hasn't left me alone. As a youngster I learned a lot more about God from listening to that book than from any "children's" book or video. The exposure to a non-Disney story is a good thing.

I encourage you to make reading a family event. Have someone in charge of the dictionary to look up words you don't know. Be prepared to pause frequently to explain or to talk through themes. Don't wait for them to ask you questions. Ask them the hard questions first. If you have an older child, have him do some of the reading. I think that when the summer has ended, you will look back on your family reading time and see it as a great blessing.

"Hope does not disappoint"

As Jenn blogged yesterday, every year when June 24th draws near, we both find ourselves thinking about and talking about our mom more than usual.

This June 24th, I find myself thinking about another woman who is facing breast cancer. Joni Eareckson Tada is undergoing surgery on Monday, June 28th to determine the severity of her cancer. Joni, a quadriplegic for more than forty years, is no stranger to suffering.

Many people will ask, 'Hasn't this woman suffered enough?!?!'

Still more will wonder, 'How can a loving God treat His faithful servant in such a way?'


This is what Joni says:
“I’ve often said that our afflictions come from the hand of our all-wise and sovereign God, who loves us and wants what is best for us. So, although cancer is something new, I am content to receive from God whatever He deems fit for me,” she said.

“Yes, it’s alarming, but rest assured that Ken and I are utterly convinced that God is going to use this to stretch our faith, brighten our hope and strengthen our witness to others.”


I'm sure Joni has shed tears over the past few weeks. She has probably had moments full of fear and anxiety. But she is doing what our own pastors at TFC have been exhorting us to do: she is beholding God--the self-revealed God of Scripture.

Her God is bigger than cancer cells. In fact, Joni's God is making cancer cells serve her. She is more than a conqueror of cancer----in Christ!

Let's pray for our sister in the Lord, that she persevere in the faith and triumph through grace.


"Whatever affliction we bear shall be for our soul's gain." --Thomas Case

What Chance?

This is conjecture and based completely on guesswork with no experience involved--but I would imagine that being a parent can be really, really scary. Just babysitting, to me, has the potential to be frightening. Driving a car with someone else's baby in the backseat is one of the bravest things I've ever done. I can't imagine being the one permanently responsible.

I would think that being a Christian parent in the midst of a ragingly ungodly culture--correct me if I'm wrong--would have to be pretty scary. You do your best to train, to shape, to nurture, but you know that slavering outside your door is a horde of enemies just waiting to snatch your little one up. Even scarier would be to know that you are going to be separated. The world is going to break down your door and snatch your child away, and you can't stop it.Your time of influence is over. Do you then give up hope?

In order for her baby to even live, Jochabed had to give him to a pagan princess, who would train him to serve a pantheon of gods. What chance did Moses have to hear God's voice?

Hannah prayed for his birth, and then she had to give him up and hand him over to a notoriously wicked pair of surrogate brothers and their selfish, foolish father. What chance did Samuel have to learn righteousness?

He was carried away into exile, a slave in the court of the most barbaric, ungodly ruler the world knew of. His parents might have been killed in the invasion, or they might have been carried away themselves, never to see their boy again. What chance did Daniel have to serve Jehovah?

Parents are a wonderful gift, and you are so important in the life of your child. But isn't it good to know that God is greater, that you can trust him to take care of your son or daughter, no matter what happens to you? You might live until you're ninety and have years and years to be a godly and wise influence on your child, and I hope you do.

My mom wasn't planning on dying when I was eleven. We had planned out our future together. I was going to be her housekeeper when I grew up. God's mercy in giving her cancer gave us time to prepare, and she never once seemed to be frightened about my future. She trusted God and knew that He is good.

I think about it a lot this time of year, because Thursday marks the twelfth anniversary of her heavenly birthday. I'm so thankful that God is greater than my mom. She is dead--He is alive. She could control my behavior--He can change my heart. She did not make me become a Christian. Jesus saved me by substituting Himself in my place, bearing my sin, paying my debt, giving me the gift of salvation, and entering heaven in my behalf. He's going to bring me there someday, and I'll stand next to my mom and we'll praise Him for what HE has done. Not only could Mom not save me--she did not have to.

I love this final stanza from John Newton's hymn "The Lord Will Provide." It reminds me of twelve years ago around this time

 When life sinks apace and death is in view,
This word of his grace shall comfort us through:
No fearing or doubting with Christ on our side,
We hope to die shouting the Lord will provide

Possessions

I read yesterday that if I am a believer, Christ is mine, and I must take hold of all that is mine in him. "Why are we so dispirited by infirmities? We know that Jehovah is our strength and our song, but we do not possess our possessions" (Beside Still Waters, by Charles Spurgeon).

I'm in the midst of getting everything in order for our vacation that starts tomorrow. Tim and I are headed to Sequoia National Park, CA and the little guy will be staying at the Grandaddy and Granmommy's house.

On top of packing for us (which I have to fit into two carry-ons since we don't want to deal with checking luggage at a busy LA airport), I'm trying to organize everything for the little guy, including clothes, food, diapers, schedules, etc. etc. I'm also trying to fit into our luggage a few things my mom asked me to bring to them, and burning CDs of sermons for them since internet is spotty on the road and streaming doesn't work so well. And making numerous lists, triple and quadruple checking them, and then double-checking my triple and quadruple checking.

Whew!

Am I bringing this up for your sympathy? By no means! As I was sitting here writing the titles of all TFC's Behold Your God series on the CDs for my parents, I was reminded of all that we've heard about God, especially these last two weeks on God as creator and sustainer and the God who never sleeps.

I am bordering on overwhelmed with my pre-vacation to-do list. And I'm tired--no one in this house slept well last night. God is never overwhelmed by his to-do list. He could take care of it with a twitch of the tip of his pinkie finger. And he is never tired! Especially for us moms, that seems like such a foreign idea!

But you know what else is cool about all that? That is the God who sustains us. I am so grateful that I do not have to rely on my own strength to accomplish anything, including getting through each moment.

Today I am trying to possess these three truths instead of just knowing them. What truths about God do you need to possess?

Changes

A woman is never quite the same after pregnancy, and birthing a baby. Her life (physically and in every other way) is forever changed.

So it is with trials.

I could go on for weeks on this topic but this will be my last post. Many excellent theological books, hymns and biographies have been written to equip believers to be spiritually prepared to face trials and to comfort believers who are presently living in trial. I want to encourage everyone to get hold of books like: Knowing God, by J.I. Packer; Be Still My Soul - 25 Classic and Contemporary Reading on the Problem of Pain, edited by Nancy Guthrie); The God I Love - a memoir, by Joni Eareckson Tada; and Beside Still Waters - devotional readings on comfort, by Charles Spurgeon. These are just a few of the many book written that will strengthen a heart that is hurting with the solid truths of God's word.

But these are the best words which help bring into perpective the changes God has in mind for the believer facing trials:

Therefore, since we have been justified (free from God's wrath), we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us (Romans 5:1-5).

What have you been reading that God has used to help change you (for good) in your trial? How is God preparing you for future trial? I'd love to know.

Safely Home

Time for true confessions. I just finished reading this book. I couldn't help myself. It was calling my name every night. It pulled me in and I could not resist. I let it happen.

I started reading back in May, rather innocently. I thought to myself, "let me see what this book is like. I'll just read a little. I just want a little introduction. I don't want to get ahead of the book club. I'll just read a few pages."

That's how it happened. I finished it this week. Do I feel guilty? No. Not at all. I'm just trying to decide if I should read it again with everyone else. Why not, you can never get too much of a good thing.

Despite what I said about getting pulled into the book, I will say that I thought it started a tad slow. I also thought the writing seemed a bit awkward. But either the writing got better, or I was so pulled into the storyline I didn't notice it after a few chapters. I was hooked.

The thing about this book is its believability. Though a novel, it is based on real characters.

The city I've called Pushan is fictitious. As far as I know, there is no Pushan in the area I've described. If there is, I've never been there and have no knowledge of it. While many things in this book have actually happened in one way or another, I have made up the story. Still, I have attempted to keep it authentic and true to life in as many details as possible. Nearly all my characters are fictitious. Some are composites of several real people. Whenever I was thinking of someone in particular I changed his name and life details so it would be impossible to identify him.

(Notes from the Author pg. xi)

This book is a novel. It is fictitious but it is true. This book tells the story of the persecuted church in China and it tells us of heaven. It is soul stirring, challenging and comforting.

I hope you enjoy your reading.

I'll be waiting for you when you are finished and we'll start the next book together.

He Will Heal (Hosea 6:1)

I read this yesterday and thought it fitting for Tim's sermon from Sunday. God made the stars, He knows everything about them, and he provides all they need. If them, then surely you. God cares for you.

I believe that God, who has appointed it, has also measured your trouble, set its bounds, and will bring it to an end.  His gracious design is in all your difficulties.  Do not think that God deals roughly with His children and gives them needless pain.  "He does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men" (Lam. 3:33).  "He has torn, but He will heal."

Has not God helped you out of one trouble after another?  Do you suppose that He will leave you in this trouble?  "He shall deliver you in six troubles, yes, in seven no evil shall touch you" (Job 5:19).

This particular water, in which you are now struggling, is intended and included in this promise, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you" (Is. 43:2).

It is, I must confess, sometimes difficult to apply the promises to a particular case.  Sometimes unbelief fights hard.  But remember, unless the promise is applied it is like medicine that is not taken.  It may be powerful, but it is worthless unless applied.

Ask for grace, that you may believe while you are still under the cloud.  Regardless of how dark the cloud, it contains blessings.  "If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth" (Eccl. 11:3).

(Beside Still Waters, C.H. Spurgeon, page 166)

Temptations in trials (more lessons from labor)

We've all seen or heard stories of laboring women yelling at their husbands. Words like: "Get out of here! I never want to see your face again... I'll never forgive you for this... this is all your fault" make us laugh. Often when a husband tries to serve his laboring wife nothing he does or says is the right thing. We laugh when we hear these stories because we know (or hope) the wife doesn't really mean what she is saying.

During those moments the wife's verbal lashing is her way of taking the focus off her own pain by placing pain on another person.

No one likes pain. No one likes going through trials. When we do find ourselves in a trial, we are often tempted to become angry, impatient, jealous, and hyper-critical of others. Can you relate to this?

Think with me for a moment will you?

When people have tried to offer you encouragement, an understanding word, an offer for help or prayer, has your perception been skewed so rather than being thankful for the care that the person was extending (however imperfectly) you focus on a word, or a tone, or an "implied" meaning and turn that act of love into a reason to be angry with the person?

Or, have you ever been tempted to become angry, bitter, withdrawn because people didn't do, call, write, or pray enough?

What is going on in our hearts when this happens? We are becoming self-focused; full of self-pity and pride that insists what was spoken or given or offered was not good enough. We think we deserve better.

In our trial we have a desire to control the pain and suffering so in an effort to shift our focus off our pain we find fault in others. Rather than "looking unto Jesus" for our help, and rather than looking into our own hearts for what we need to learn in our trial, we place our attention on others to find some kind of sinful satisfaction that all isn't well in their world either (after all how could they be so thoughtless?).

There are times when people do fail to love and care. But it would be far better for us to extend grace to them and trust that they were not being intentionally hurtful. It would be far better for our soul and theirs if we would pray like Stephen, "forgive them for they know not what they do." So often people do not know how to care in the way we think they should, or they do not know what we want them to say. If they do not know, then even the sincerest attempts to be kind will most likely disappoint you.

Have you ever done or said something wrong to a person in trial? Have you ever missed an opportunity to extend love to a suffering sister? Did you do it intentionally? Probably not. How did the person respond? Did she draw near to you in love and grace, or did she distance herself from you and keep herself in a cocoon of self-pity and bitterness? If you've lived the Christian life for even a short while you've probably experienced both. How did you feel in either case?

Have you ever been the one sinfully judging the intentions of the "caring" person? Like the woman in labor yelling at her husband, have you been the sister inwardly rebelling against the imperfect gesture of love and care? Did you find your soul drying up from unconfessed resentment? Or did you cover it all with love and grace and find your soul expanding in the midst of your trial?

Where do we go with all of this? As always, we run to the cross. There we find forgiveness for the sin of self-pity, anger, and pride.

At the cross we find our perfect example to follow.

For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed (1 Peter 2:21-24).

If Christ was betrayed by a friend, and forsaken by the hundreds who had once loved him when the miracles were flowing, if he was beaten nigh unto death and then hung on a tree to die, all without a word of complaint, then we can call on Him to help us walk through our trials without lashing out at others.

Dear sisters, let us love and care for others in their trials as we would want them to love and care for us in our trials.

And may we forbear and forgive others who we think have failed us in our trials as we would want them to forbear and forgive us when we fail them in their trials.

As with anything we cannot do this on our own. Our sinful hearts will always lead us away from love and grace. But by His grace let us keep "drawing near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16).

Uprooting Anger (5)

Uprooting Anger has proven to be an edifying read. As Brooke put it----everyone needs to read this book!

I guarantee that you will see yourself on the pages of this book even if you don't think that you have an 'anger problem.' Anger reveals itself in sooooo many ways.

One of the outlets of anger that Jones reveals is concealed anger. I think that women are particularly good at concealing their anger. Yep, we just let it come to a steady boil right under the surface, but we look fine on the outside.

How many times has your friend, coworker, spouse, child, pastor upset you and then asked, "What's wrong?"

"I'm fine!" Meanwhile, you're outraged that they don't know what has upset you. You fall into the trap of telling lies to yourself ('they don't even care about me...can't they see I'm upset?!?!').

It is all self-preserving behavior. You want to protect yourself from being hurt more than you want to reconcile with a fellow sinner. I am G-U-I-L-T-Y!

We need the cross. When we cling to Christ and follow His word, we can be free to humble ourselves and dare I say, become vulnerable for the sake of the gospel. The Lord will be there to comfort you when you feel ravaged by the world (and sometimes the church)--it will happen.

Living the gospel-centered life is at once full of joy and full of pain. You will feel deeply about people and that will result in excruciating pain at times.

Do you remember how Gayline used the imagery of pregnancy and labor as a metaphor for life? It is a perfect metaphor.

When someone hurts you think of it as a birth pang, a contraction. You will experience countless injuries from loved ones and strangers throughout your life.

You cannot do anything to change that. Only God is sovereign.

What you can do is monitor your own heart. Anger concealed turns into bitterness which poisons the soul.

Don't worry about 'them.' Worry about 'you.' Think of the day that you will stand before the Lord and give an account for your thoughts. Do your thoughts reflect Christ? Examine yourself.

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Please note we'll be starting our summer reading on Monday, June 14. We've chosen three novels for easy and fun but faith-grounded beach or poolside reading. Be sure to stop by the bookstore this Sunday to pick up a copy. Or click on the link in the right hand column to order from Amazon. I've heard good things and can't wait to get started!

Pure Joy

Fill in the blank:

"Consider it PURE JOY whenever you ___________________."

This is one of those bizarre paradoxes that the Bible throws at us. It's the kind where it sounds fine just reading it, but then one day it stands out to you that this makes no sense at all. James 1:2 says to consider it pure JOY, the kind of thing we get excited about and that makes it easy to do whatever it is you have to do because you’re so soul-delighted that laughter giggles up from the bottom of your belly whenever ...

... you face trials? Of many kinds?

Left by itself, it makes no sense. It's kind of macho-tough, laughing in the face of difficulty for no particular stated reason at all. Just be happy, keh? You're a Christian and Christians are happy, so be happy, keh?

Isn't God good to give us reasons, facts, indicatives upon which to base His instructions, commands, imperatives? Even in nature, He gives us illustrations. You don't tell a woman in labor to just enjoy herself in her pain, but you remind her that soon she's going to have a baby in her arms. You don't tell a person gasping halfway up a mountain to just relax and enjoy themselves—you remind them that if they keep going, they're going to reach a spectacular summit.

Similarly through James, God says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

And then, "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him."

Pure joy. May He give us that joy today and in the rest of our lives until the day when He gives us the crown of life.

Summer days...

As we move into summer (hasn't the weather been fantastic these last couple of days?!), I've been thinking about memories made and created. There seem to be so many more opportunities during the summer because there's no school, the weather's great, and for the most part, people are ready to DO something after being cooped up all winter.

Last summer's memories with the little guy included a trip to Denver to see my family, splashing in the blow-up pool in the backyard (not to mention the countless trips up and down the little slide attached to it!), and his first birthday party.

We're already on a roll this summer: the little guy's uncle came to visit over Memorial Day weekend, a drum set, the church yard sale, and this Saturday, his first trip to the beach.

What are your summer memories as a child? What summer memories have you made with your own family? What memories do you hope to make this summer? We'd love to hear from you!


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Please note we'll be starting our summer reading on Monday, June 14. We've chosen three novels for easy and fun but faith-grounded beach or poolside reading. Be sure to email Bruce to have him order your copy of Randy Alcorn's Safely Home, and stop by the bookstore this Sunday to pick it up. Or click on the link in the right hand column to order from Amazon. I've heard good things and can't wait to get started!

Falling in Love Again (Guest Post)

This morning I was awakened early after only a few hours of sleep. I felt the need to pray for someone I know who I love to pieces, but who is floundering in her faith. What the Lord prompted me to pray is that He would become the "pearl of great price" in her life. That she would fall in love with her Savior.

I pray that for myself and for all of us. Anything this world has to offer is worthless compared to what we have in and from our Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Why I cling to anyone or anything else is insanity and yet I do. Father forgive me.

Since I was up I drove to Seaside Park and watched the sunrise. It was gorgeous. And as an added bonus I found lots of sea glass and small pretty shells. He loves us so very much.

Today I read 1 Timothy 3 and 4. The verse that spoke to my heart was 4:14-16..."Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. Meditate on these things: give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you."

How many times have I become complacent/compromised my "living out" what I believe. Someone is always watching or listening to us. I MUST give more and more of my time to prayer and reading and meditating on His Word so I can make a positive impact, no matter how small, in the sphere of influence He has placed me in.

Sharon Misiak

Uprooting Anger (4)

How's the reading going? I know the book's been helpful to me, so I've got a few quick questions for you today to see how it's helping you.

Do you (like me) often find yourself struggling with "legitimate" anger? Maybe your husband isn't the spiritual leader you hoped he'd be, or your kids misbehave more than they listen. Or maybe there's someone at church who's said unkind things to you. You feel like you have the "right" to be angry. How has the definition of anger in chapter one and the discussion on real righteous anger in chapter two helped you?

When it comes to how you handle your anger, are you a venter or a bottler? What did you find helpful in the explanations of sinful revealing in chapter five and sinful concealing in chapter six?

Do you struggle with anger against God? Maybe you do and you're not aware of it. What insights were you able to pull from chapter seven? What about anger against yourself? Are you a self-condemner; judge and jury to your own sin as if it were all about you? What encouragements were you able to draw from chapter eight?

Do you live with an angry person? Or maybe someone has come to you asking for help with their anger. What did you find most helpful in chapter nine?

Have you, like so many, bought into the idea that anger is a normal thing? That because it's so commonplace even in Christian circles it's really not that big of a deal? How did chapter ten challenge that perspective?

A question in there for everyone... so what's your anger issue?

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Please note we'll be starting our summer reading on Monday, June 14. We've chosen three novels for easy and fun but faith-grounded beach or poolside reading. Be sure to stop by the bookstore this Sunday and pick up or order a copy of Randy Alcorn's Safely Home. I've heard good things and can't wait to get started!

Learning how to listen

My grandpa got a new hearing aid recently. This one actually works really well, but he still can't hear any of our conversations. Although he can physically hear the sounds, he has forgotten how to listen. He asks you to repeat things that he clearly heard (but he didn't hear a word of it). In his own admission, he has to learn how to hear all over again.

We have all been guilty at one time or another of hearing without listening. On my drive to work, I try to listen to sermons or lectures, but I often find myself just hearing it while my mind is ten miles away. Listening can be really hard. Listening is active, while hearing is merely passive. I see it all over: kids not listening to parents, parents not listening to kids, husbands and wives, employers and employees, customers and workers, friends, television and viewer, computer and user--information is exchanged and lives are shared, but a lot of it goes right past us.

Here is my practical question - how do I really listen to others, actively participating in the exchange even though my mouth is shut? I have a few ideas. What are your suggestions?

Spiritually, my soul is sobered by Hebrews 4:2 - "For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened."

Future Grace (Guest Post)

(A few weeks ago Brooke asked Pat if she would fill in for me when I was preoccupied with many things. Here is her post. Thank you Pat!)

This past week our ladies' Bible study at Colette's finished for the summer months. We have completed the book of Acts. As I was preparing the final lesson having looked back at the obvious providential hand of God, I was reminded that none of the Apostles or Paul and his companions knew what the next 30 years would be like. We have the benefit of seeing the whole story but they didn't. We also live in a story that is part of a bigger story and we don't know what the next chapter will be.

As I prepared my study I became aware of a sense of being "downcast" in my soul. What was it that was tugging at me? I realized that I had over the last several days been allowing some anxieties to roll around in my head. Not over anything I was dealing with today but some things I might deal with... perhaps in the next 30 years. Am I confident in God's sovereignty? Absolutely! So what was happening?

The Spirit directed me to an essay by John Piper about future grace. That was where I was getting tripped up. Like the Israelites in the account of the Exodus, I was trying to gather tomorrow's manna today and it was becoming maggot infested. The lesson I still needed to be reminded of through the narrative of Acts is that living by faith means I believe the grace I need for tomorrow will be there. That is the hope that will sustain me all the remaining days of my life. When Paul was at some of his lowest times grace showed up in an angel or the Lord himself. The grace I need tomorrow may not come in such dramatic forms but it will come nonetheless.

"Why so downcast, O my soul? Put your trust in the Lord" (and in future grace).


by Pat Bowditch

Contractions of the soul

Last week I wrote about keeping Christ as our focal point during trials, just as a woman in labor uses a focal point to keep her mind off the pain of her contractions. This week I want to write about those contractions and the good that those contractions produce.

Whether you're a mom or not; whether you've birthed your children or adopted them, who doesn't love the sight of a newborn baby? Who doesn't get emotional watching a movie with a birthing scene, especially the part when that baby is placed in the mother's arms? Apart from becoming born again is there any greater miracle?

We all know this miracle comes at great cost. It is literally through blood, sweat and tears that a baby is brought into the world.

I remember eight hours into the 16 hour laboring process wondering if I could go any longer. I remember feeling like I had to give up. There was just no way I could go on, I thought. But there was no going back. If I wanted this baby (and even if I didn't) there was no way I could change my mind. That baby had to come out, and I had to endure the contractions to get it out.

I also remember when I was expecting David, at age 38 (5 1/2 years after my previous pregnancy), wondering if I'd remember how to do labor and delivery. I remember waking up at night with the irrational fear that I wouldn't be able to do it again.

But all those fears had to be laid aside and I had to remember I had a job to do. I had been called to carry and birth this life. I had to remember if God had called me to this, He would provide me with all that I would need to fulfill this calling.

Spiritual contractions are the same way.

"Life is pain, your highness. Anyone who tells you otherwise is trying to sell you something." (the man in black)

We live in a fallen world. Until Christ returns or we go to heaven we will face "many dangers, toils and snares" that bring great pain. Sometimes we cry: "how long oh Lord?" sometimes we inaudibly groan: "I can't do it any longer." Sometimes we plead in prayer for the pain to stop. But the pain doesn't stop. It may subside for a while but when it returns we wonder if we can endure it again, or remember how to get through it.

But God gives us all that we need for our spiritual contractions. Here are the verses that I have had to remember during these painful times:

"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, so we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient but the things that are unseen are eternal" (2 Cor. 4:17).

"Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified." (Romans 8:27-30),

"Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning." (Psalm 30:5).

In these verses there is something we can hang on to. When the contractions of life that squeeze our hearts are over, when trials have completed God's intended purposes, there is an eternal glory, and a joy that awaits us in heaven. And even now there is good that is being accomplished through our trials. When the contractions are over, we will weep with joy for what God has done.

How have you found these promises (or others) to help you through your trials?

When Momma Ain't Happy (Uprooting Anger 4)

Do you have a happy home? By this I mean do the members of your family generally interact with each other with love, and respectful communication? Do you realize what an important part you as the woman of the house have in this? I'm sure you've heard the phrase, "When Momma ain't happy ain't nobody happy." It's true.

How would your husband and children describe you? As an angry woman or a woman who communicates with truth and grace?

Do you build your house up with kind words or do you tear down your house with your temper?

How do you handle unmet expectations? Do you give it over to God and have all necessary conversations with the individuals involved or do you yell, rant and rave?

When you are disappointed by someone do you draw near to them with humility and grace or do you quietly stew and withdraw? Our family members feel very keenly our negative (sinful) emotions. I remember as a child feeling the distance from my mother when she was upset about something. I usually never knew what was bothering her but I always thought it was about me. Children don't like to feel emotionally separated from their mother. But if they feel it often enough, or long enough, children will eventually distance themselves from their mother. This is one of the sad consequences of sinful anger.

In his book, Uprooting Anger, Robert Jones gives us a lot of biblical help for addressing anger. Though most of the examples in the book are taken from the marriage relationship there is good news for us all. This is in no way a book on marriage. It is a book on anger - a temptation we all face. Robert D. Jones tells us there is a way to process the sins in our hearts, the sins committed against us by people and the trials that come our way that tempt us to be angry with God.

Because I am a woman and I know the temptation women (including myself) have towards anger I cannot say it strongly enough: women need to read this book!! This book is founded on biblical truth and not pop psychology. This book provides many practical helps (for example, after forty-five minutes of working on this post, I lost all my work. Having just been reminded by Mr. Jones about responding to unmet expectations in a godly way, I was helped to let it go and find comfort in God's sovereign rule over lost time.)

If you are not sure if you are an angry person, here's a challenging assignment (one which I did several years ago): Ask your husband, children, father, or roommate if they are ever afraid to tell you something for fear of your response. And if they are afraid, what are they afraid of? It could be revealing.

Whatever the answer I hope you keep reading Uprooting Anger. It may make all the difference between an angry momma and a happy momma, or a happy home and an angry home.

Know Your Enemy

Common war strategy says to know your enemy in order to be able to counter his attacks and gain victory--know his strategies, his strengths, his weaknesses. The Apostle Paul seems to assume that Christians become very familiar with their enemy--Satan (2 Corinthians 2:11)--and his methods.

We've been looking at our current RMMR verses--Ephesians 6:10-20--which give us our instructions for battle, so to speak.

There are countless ways in which Satan attacks the church, some of them are obvious, while others are more subtle. One of my college professors, Dr. Jerry Hullinger, has studied much on the topic of spiritual warfare and has listed five (of the many) ways in which Satan shoots 'fiery darts' in our direction. The following are notes taken from Dr. Hullinger's chapel message called "The Five Schemes of Satan."

Scheme 1: the lie which distorts the nature of the Christian life--no more battles, struggles, storms; thinking it abnormal to struggle with sin, go through hardships

Scheme 2: the lie of sensationalism--looking for a 'quick-fix' instead of consistently applying the first principles of spiritual health; can't seem to 'defeat' sin

Scheme 3: a series of lies which will get us, as God's children, to belittle the cross; tries to persuade us that we have committed a sin that God won't forgive (willful sin, repeated sin...); think we have to do something to merit God's forgiveness

Scheme 4: the lie that tries to persuade us that we are being short-changed in the Christian life; the original lie; exchanging the glory of God for the 'broken cisterns' of this world (Jer. 3)

Scheme 5: the slow approach (multi-year plan); Satan is content to plant seeds all throughout our lives and wait for them to germinate and grow; 'one sin doesn't matter,' 'I'm strong enough to be exposed to certain things'; nibble around the edges, develop a taste for sin

Have you ever been taken as a 'prisoner of war' by any of these schemes??? (I have--all five!)

It has proven an immense help to study Satan's strategies. I am more consistently able to recognize them when confronted by them. Satan never tires of developing new strategies so we must persevere in our battle against the wiles of the devil. And we know, we do it through Christ.

"May God help us to be ever vigilant, walking in the victory that Christ has already provided for us!" --Dr. Hullinger

No Reason to Shrink

Our RMMR memory verses for May: Ephesians 6:10-11
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

I love these verses, particularly verse 10. Finally, be strong... Before I even have time to protest that I can't or become frustrated because I can't, it says "in the Lord and in the strength of His might." This is such a benevolent command. Who but a loving Father would tell us to stand--and then knowing that we can't, gives us His own indefatigable, unassailable strength.

In the strength of the Lord's might, bedecked with the armor He has given us, we can stand firm. As John Calvin noted, "If the Lord aids us by his mighty power, we have no reason to shrink from the combat." (Commentary on Ephesians)


How has memorizing these verses blessed you this month?

The belt of truth

This month we've been looking spiritual warfare in Ephesians 6:10-20 as part of TFC's RMMR reading plan.

A couple of weekends ago, TFC's pastoral staff and wives went into New York City to see Max McLean perform Screwtape Letters. If you're not familiar with Screwtape Letters, it's a short novel written by C.S. Lewis that's sort of a sneak peak into the activities of demons via letters exchanged between one demon and his "mentor" demon.

I'd say it was good timing.

We'd been in Ephesians 6 for a couple of weeks, and here was an opportunity to take a kind of real-life dramatic look at what Paul is talking about.

The biggest thing I came away with was Paul's appropriate use of the word "schemes" in verse 11. What is clear in Screwtape Letters is that Satan is the father of lies, and his demons seek to twist and distort every thought beholden to man.

Feeling disappointed with your husband as of late? If only he would be more like those men in the soap operas or in your favorite romantic comedy, then you'd be happy.

Things been going well in your spiritual walk lately? Well, shouldn't they? Look at all the reading you've been doing, and all the times you've been to care group, and how well you pay attention on Sunday mornings.

Struggling with anger because your children haven't been on their best behavior? Of course you should be angry! You're the parent and they show you no respect, and, well, they're just gonna get it. That'll show them.

He'll use anything, even the good stuff.

So what do we do about it? Well the first weapon mentioned in Ephesians 6:14 is the belt of truth, and there's no better defense for lies than the truth. 1 Peter 1:13 says, "Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." Focusing on the truth prepares your mind to fight against the lies of the devil, whether they come from the world outside or from your inward thoughts. And, if you remember from Gayline's post on sober-mindedness,

Sober-mindedness is processing all of life through the truth of God's word. It is being able to process a response, or an answer, or an attitude, a crisis or a counseling situation with a mind ready for action. It is a mind that is poised to speak and act wisely.

Luke 12:35 and Hebrews 5:14 remind us that we must persevere in our focus on God's truth. We must "stay dressed for action" and train our powers of discernment "by constant practice to distinguish good from evil."

When we check our outward clothing in the mirror every morning, may we remember to check for our spiritual clothing, especially the belt of truth.

Looking unto Jesus

It has been a few weeks since I've posted. I've needed a break for the purpose of looking unto Jesus. I'll share more of that with you, but first I'll state that you may not at first glance see the connection of this post (and possibly a few more) to the Titus 2 passage.

I left off in Titus 2:2 where Paul tells Titus that older men and women are to be "sound in faith, in love and in steadfastness." In other words (my words) our theology and our teaching is given credence by how our faith and love are lived out when the rubber meets the road. Can those younger in years and younger in faith see that our faith passes the tests of time? Can they see us love the unlovely with Gospel love? Can they see an unshakeable devotion to God and His Truth that doesn't crumble in the storms of life?

This is what we are called upon to do and be. It isn't easy. In fact, it is impossible - in ourselves. But, God is the one who gives the gift of faith, love and steadfastness. It is God who gives us such a deep appreciation for what Christ did for us on the cross, we actually can be sound (unmoveable) in faith, love and steadfastness - even in our trials. But we must keep our eyes fixed on Christ at all times. He must be our focal point.

I'm going to try to illustrate.

For over a month I've been severely tested with a particular trial. A week ago it occurred to me how much like labor this test has felt like. I've given birth to six children, so I have a keen appreciation what laboring feels like. Though I am sure my labor experiences were not as painful or complicated as many women experience, I did experience pain!!! But here is how Tim and I labored together for the birth of our children:

Tim is 6'4" tall. I am 4' 11 3/4" short. When Tim sits in a chair and I stand in front of him we can see eye to eye. As I was laboring for the birth of our baby, I freely walked about the room but when a contraction came I would lean on Tim's shoulders, letting the weight of my womb drop in front of me, off my back and hips. Tim and I would then lock eyes and breathe our way through the pain. Tim's eyes were my focal point to get me one contraction closer to seeing our baby.

Funny thing is, we didn't plan it that way. It wasn't something we learned in childbirth classes. It just was natural for me to lean on him and to look into his eyes for my help and strength for he had proven himself to be strong, trustworthy and full of compassion.

I'll share more next week. But I'll leave you with this scripture passage. Please read it over carefully and let the richness of the truth bless your soul. And if you find yourself laboring through a trial, I pray that you, along with me, will look unto Jesus for He has in all ways proven Himself to be a strong, trustworthy, and compassionate Savior:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood (Hebrews 12:1-4).

Uprooting Anger (3)

One of my favorite passages from this book so far:

The Bible portrays us as active moral agents--made in God's image--responsible for our own behavior. We must not blame our family members, our friends, our genes, our parents, our church leaders, society, our hormones, or the devil for our anger.

Instead, as we humble ourselves before God and confess that our anger is our own, arising from idolatrous lies and lusts, we find God's forgiving, enabling grace. We must meet God, draw near to God, have dealings with God, submit to God, and bring our anger to God. We must shift our functioning faith from worthless heart-idols to God's Son. (p. 71)

What has stood out to you?

When Christ Withdraws Himself

This week Brooke blogged about the grace of God being administered to us in and through our sufferings and trials. Jenn blogged on the grace of God that enables us to look to the future with hope and expectation.

Everyone who is born of the Spirit of God experiences grace--every moment of every day for the rest of their lives (and on into eternity!).

What about when God seems farther away than the farthest star in the sky? How about when the Scriptures seem boring and the last thing on the planet you want to do is to discipline yourself in prayer--where's the grace?

A child of God feels no greater unrest or fear than when they wake up to find Christ so far away they doubt whether they ever really knew Him at all! Intimate fellowship with Christ seems such a thing of the past, the Christian questions whether he truly had such a relationship with Christ or if he just imagined it all to fill some void in his life. I've been there.

Why would the Chief Shepherd distance Himself from His precious flock if He shows only love and grace toward it?

John Owen offers insight:

Whilst we are in this life, the Lord Christ is pleased, in his sovereign wisdom, sometimes to withdraw, and, as it were, to hide himself from us. Then do our minds fall into clouds and darkness; faith is at a loss; we cannot behold his glory; yea, we may seek him, but cannot find him.

...Why does the Lord Christ, at any time, thus hide himself in his glory from the faith of believers, that they cannot behold him?

...He does it to stir us up in an eminent manner to a diligent search and inquiry after him. Woeful sloth and negligence are apt to prevail in us in our meditation on heavenly things. Though our hearts wake in a valuation of Christ, his love, and his grace, yet we sleep as to the due exercise of faith and love towards him.

...Now, he knows that those with whom he has been graciously present, who have had views of his glory, although they have not valued the mercy and privilege of it as they ought, yet can they not bear a sense of his absence and his hiding himself from them. By this, therefore, will he awake them to a diligent inquiry after him.

...Christ commits himself to us, and we ought carefully to keep his presence...But whilst we are busy here and there, while our minds are overfilled with other things, he withdraws himself, we cannot find him. But even this rebuke is a sanctified ordinance for our recovery, and his return to us. *

Christ's temporary withdrawal from a believer is a means of grace, in that it draws us closer to Him by awakening our desire and love for Him. Let us draw comfort and encouragement from this. Should you find that Christ is far away, respond in the manner His distance is intended to produce: run to Him and find solace in His presence. You will find Him rejoicing over you.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation. Psalm 51:12a

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. James 4:8

*John Owen, The Glory of Christ, Christian Focus Publications (2004), pp. 194-196.

Longing for Eternity?

If experiences in life were wells of water, then it would be safe to say that every well has a source of pollution in it. I used to think that if I just didn’t work at Wawa, everything in my life would be in order. Well, I don’t work at Wawa anymore—and I’m exceedingly thankful for that—but—don’t be too surprised—I’ve still got problems. I’ve got an entirely new set of circumstances at which I look and say something like, “If only ______, then I would be content.”

I’ve heard a rumor that other people have this problem, too. That sometimes mothers would just wish for a night of uninterrupted sleep. Or for a clean house, or a more attentive husband. We wish for a dog and then we wish we didn’t have a dog. We wish for children. We wish for relationships. We wish for success, health, and a lifelong vacation from the pain and toil of work.

It kinda sounds like we’re longing for eternity. Discontent, in one way, serves a purpose in keeping our hearts and minds focused on eternal things. Every day when we experience the futility of life, we are reminded that life is a vapor and this world is passing away. We’re not supposed to be perfectly happy in this fallen world! It is by the discontent that we feel almost constantly that we see, as the Preacher put it, that God has put eternity in the hearts of man.

On the other hand, discontent can become a stumbling block to our joy, blocking our view of the gracious gifts that God has given us. And honestly, if God were to take away everything that we have, as He did with Job, still we could say with perfect truthfulness,

“Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
Ps. 73:25-26

Grace

"Beloved, our God has blessed and continues to bless, not by fits and starts but by a constant grace."
(Beside Still Waters, Charles H. Spurgeon, p. 138)

When you're going through hard times (a rebellious child, an angry husband, sickness, fatigue, spiritual dryness, etc.), do you ever get the feeling that maybe God has withdrawn His grace from you for some reason?

I would like to suggest that the better thought is that God has not withdrawn His grace; rather He is pouring out His grace upon you.

It may not feel like grace, but remember this: "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28), and "he gives more grace" (James 4:6).

I can't get enough of it. And I'm never without it.

If you are His, you are always under His grace.

Uprooting Anger (2)

First off, let us apologize for a blank week on the blog. With Gayline out of town, Brooke overnight at the hospital with the little guy on Monday, and a lot of busyness on the part of the Lawrence sisters, we just couldn't get a post out.


As for the book, just another question for you today--and hopefully this time someone will respond :-)

Where are you in the book and what have you found helpful so far?


p.s. Would you take a moment to go back and answer last week's question? We really would love to hear from you.

Uprooting Anger (1)

Just a quick question today since we're only getting started on the book this week.

What made you decide to join in on our 4th book, Uprooting Anger? We'd love to hear from you.

Didn't make it to the conference?

I had the privilege of going to the Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology this weekend with almost a dozen folks from Trinity. We heard some great teaching by some incredibly gifted pastors and teachers.

The conference began with this thesis statement:
We are here to see Jesus, to learn that all things are set under His feet, and that one day His victory shall be visible--and one day every tongue shall confess He is Lord.

But the weather was a little hot, and my parking garage was a little far away from my hotel. One of two tiny elevators was broken. My room keys, on the other hand, worked just fine after the first two failures and replacements. Eight flights up stairs--up, down, up, down, up. My sister got sick, my friend was sick, and the entire city of Philadelphia didn't sleep, but chose to set off sirens outside my window all night.

But that doesn't change the facts: All things are about Jesus. All things--elevators, sickness, theology, me--are set under His feet.

Which answer is truer, DA Carson asked, did God cause my sister to get sick or did germs? Both are true. Which is more fundamental?

Phil Ryken said, "One of the most cursed things we suffer is the constant underlying discontent. While things seem to get better, people feel worse. The fundamental problem is a fallen world cannot satisfy."

A great theology conference in a fallen world cannot satisfy. A cool drink on a hot day cannot satisfy. A peaceful rest, a strengthening meal, a friendly conversation--all cannot satisfy intimately and infinitely. Only God can.

The moral of the story is not to guard your heart, DA Carson concluded. The point is to choose your treasure, because where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Don't plan for the next thirty years--plan for the next fifty billion years. But all of that with a spirit of hope, not of curmudgeonly slavery to duty: "We cannot be properly mature if we are not hope-oriented."

Some things to hope for: God hears and answers prayer. Jesus will return in great glory. There is a resurrection from the dead, far greater than we can imagine. We will not be capable of sin in glory. God is at work in us every day. Those who trust in Him will not be put to shame.

Spirit given self-control

Here are two children's songs. Their message is for us all. If you do not know the tunes, I'd suggest you download them from Sovereign Grace Music.

These are songs we all need to have tattooed on our minds and hearts. Notice how in the first song we confess we cannot have self-control unless the Holy Spirit gives it. How does the Holy Spirit give it? In response to our crying out to God for it.

The second song reminds us of the Gospel, our only hope (for self-control or any good thing). He, who was tempted in every way like us, never sinned. Because He didn't sin, He became a perfect sacrifice acceptable to God. Because He was acceptable to God, He now sits at the Father's right hand making intercession for us. Sitting at the Father's right hand means He has become our Great High Priest and as such He receives our prayers. When we pray for self-control, Jesus takes our prayer to the Father and the Father quickly responds with the Holy Spirit filling us with power to exercise self-control. And when we fail and go to God in genuine repentance, Jesus, through the merits of His Blood, pleads to the Father for our forgiveness. Once again, I say, "Amazing Grace."

Give Me Self-Control

Your Word tells me I have a need
To watch out for my soul
And every day it's clear to me
I need Your self-control
My hands and feet are quick to move
Before I even know
So Jesus make me more like You
And give me self-control

Lord, I'm needy
So I'm pleading
Come and fill me
Help me to be self-controlled
Help me to be self-controlled

When I say words I shouldn't speak
And hurt the ones I know
On mornings when I'd rather sleep
I need Your self-control
When I am told to sit for hours
And time goes by so slow
I need the Holy Spirit's power
To give me self-control

Lord, I'm needy
So I'm pleading
Come and fill me
Help me to be self-controlled
Help me to be self-controlled



Jesus, You're My Hope

Jesus, You were tempted
In every way like I am
But You never gave in - no!
You looked to Your Father
And the Spirit's power
For Your strength and self-control

Jesus, You're my hope
You will help me grow
I don't want to sin
I don't want to give in- no!
Jesus, give me self-control

Right at the beginning
When I feel like sinning
Help me look to You alone
Help me to obey, Lord
Follow in Your way, Lord
Jesus, give me self-control

New Book Tomorrow

Just a reminder that we start a new book tomorrow: Uprooting Anger by Robert D. Jones.

If you're married, you need this book.
If you're single, you need this book.
If you have kids, you need this book.
If you have parents, you need this book.
If you have a job, you need this book.
If you interact with other people at all, you need this book.

We hope that you'll join us.

What Are You Reading? (4)

Well, we're wrapping up our book of the month: What's The Difference? by John Piper.

How did it impact you?

It gave me a clearer picture of what it means to be biblically feminine and what submission is and is not.

If this book has left you with more questions and a desire to go into greater depth on the subject, check out Recovering Manhood and Womanhood (Crossway, 1990). This larger volume provides in-depth exegesis of relevant Scriptural passages and also more practical guidance on how to live as a biblical female.


I'll end with this statement that really encouraged me--it's the last paragraph of the book, taken from the Danvers Statement (charter statement of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood).

With half the world's population outside the reach of indigenous evangelism; with countless other lost people in those societies that have heard the gospel; with the stresses and miseries of sickness, malnutrition, homelessness, illiteracy, ignorance, aging, addiction, crime, incarceration, neuroses, and loneliness, no man or woman who feels a passion from God to make His grace known in word and deed need ever live without a fulfilling ministry for the glory of Christ and the good of this fallen world.

We might struggle, as women, with the way God has made us and the role He has given us, but that is the fault of our fallen sinful flesh, not His perfect design. God help us all to grow in grace and to become the 'Titus 2 Woman' Gayline has been blogging about.


Next book on the list: Uprooting Anger by Robert D. Jones. Reading starts this Monday and we'd love for you to join us!