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