Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

I have always been close to my Mom. She has been a constant source of encouragement to me through the years, and I thank God for her influence.

She is a tiny lady with a big heart. She has taught me the value of hard work and determination. She is also a woman of unshakable faith. I have witnessed her cling tenaciously to her faith through many difficult trials.

I am blessed with a special mom. She has always been there for me. Mom, I thank God for you, and I thank you for all your love and support.

Happy Mother's Day, Delia!

I am truly blessed in many ways. I'm married to a wonderful woman who is my best friend. She is also the mother of my children.

During Ellie's brief life, Delia demonstrated a tender, resilient heart. Even in grief, she was a constant source of joy and comfort. I found myself leaning on her for strength and comfort.

Watching her now with Sophia is a delight. The way they laugh and carry on is a wonderful thing to witness. Both Mommy and her daughter love to laugh. Their laughter is a delightful sound that lifts the spirits.

I am thrilled that I get to go through the adventure of parenthood with her because I couldn't imagine parenting with anyone else. Her example makes me strive to be a better father. I'm grateful to God for her influence, both in my life and in the lives of our children. Delia, I love you and I hope you have a wonderful Mother's Day every year.

Can Reading Fiction Help?

Me with Stephen Lawhead

I once that people who read fiction tend to have better interpersonal relationship skills. While I can't testify to the the truthfulness of the statement, I can say that my recent experience with fiction has thinking that it may be true. With fiction, as in life, you encounter a many types of people. Although it may be true that each is unique, there is also a lot of common ground between people.

In life, the first impression of a person often dictates the flow of the relationship. If they make a pleasing first impression, you may find yourself trying to build a friendship. If they strike in a negative way, you might find yourself avoiding that person. First impressions are often wrong, or at least slightly off the mark.

As you encounter characters in the works of fiction, you are given ample time to measure the person through their actions. You may not initial like a character, but through the events that change and shape them you come to love or admire them. Or you may find that your initial positive feelings for a character are unwarranted. These things can be said of life as well, but we tend to give real human being less opportunity to change our minds.

Fiction, then, can give us a framework to approaching the people that we meet. Watching a life unfold in a novel can help you to see the big picture. The future brings many twists and turns, many opportunities for change and growth, failure and betrayal. If a person reads widely in different genres of fiction, they will encounter many different types of characters. From that pool of characters, they will be able to more readily find common ground with people in the real world. Reading of this sort helps us to temper both our gullibility and our cynicism.

Individual who have no difficulty with meeting new people may find this a bit odd, but introverts often struggle with developing relationships. Earning their trust comes at a great price. However, I have found myself a little less apprehensive about approaching new people. The opportunity for friendship and adventure is great to risk throwing it away. I think the Spirit has been using fiction to help me becoming more discerning and more caring.

The imagination can be a powerful ally to growth. It can also be a great ally to the gospel. The Scripture is filled with vivid imagery. That imagery pulls you into the story, connects you to the people in those stories. Scripture is not fiction, but it still takes advantage of the story format. Story is important on an instinctive level.

I encourage you to read the Bible for the truth it teaches. Get lost in the stories, connect to the character, and try to understand their motives. It will help you to grow. But also remember that other stories echo some of the great stories of Scripture. You'll read about the ruin of sin, the role of providence in life, justice, forgiveness, and redemption. Just as Jesus taught great truth in parables, so to fiction can teach us great truths. Most of the fictional character you'll encounter in your stories are composites of real people. And most likely, you'll run into someone who is similar in some way.

I encourage you to find some good fiction, and devote some time to developing your imagination. Realize the authors worldview shapes not only the story he tells, but how he tells the story. Reading authors who write from a distinctly Christian worldview helps to reinforce the biblical world view for you. Reading authors who write from a non-Christian worldview give you a peek behind the curtain, so to speak. They help you to see how they wrestle with the implications of their worldview.

I'm not an expert on fiction, and my tastes run toward fantasy and science fiction. Although, I also like historical fiction and literature some. Some of my suggestions would be C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia, and his Space Trilogy; J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings (Trilogy); I loved the Song of Albion trilogy, The Pendragon Cycle, Byzantium, and The King Raven Trilogy by Stephen R. Lawhead (I'm a big Lawhead fan); Peter Pan was a good book; John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress is a must read (even if you have to do it in modern English); and there are plenty of others. 

What works of fiction have you read and found helpful? Who are some of your favorite characters? What books would you recommend? Why not leave a comment?

Loving Our Enemies and Justice

"But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matt. 5:44).

The recent news concerning the death of Osama Bin Laden has me thinking. Just how should we respond to the news of his death? I mean, as Bible believing, followers of Christ, how should we view his death. Jesus gives us the guidelines for relating to our enemies in Matthew 5:43-48. The ultimate goal is to be "perfect . . . as your heavenly Father is perfect." Many remind us that the term translated "perfect," might be better translated "complete" or "mature." Even is we were to translate it "mature" or "complete," it still leaves us with an impossible goal. Jesus is reminding us that we need him to make it a reality. Without his righteousness, we cannot be mature or complete or perfect like the Father.

But in Christ, we can become more like the Father. We can love our enemies. The biblical idea of love goes beyond what most Americans mean when they use the term. We often use the term to mean that we favor something. For example, I love a good steak. We also use it to mean that we have warm or affectionate feelings toward someone (or something). A person can be said to love their spouse, child, or pet. The biblical idea is more about doing good or showing kindness to another. Biblical love is about pursuing the other person's welfare ahead of our own.

We demonstrate this love by praying for those who persecute us. Persecution includes rejection, insults, abuse, imprisonment, and death. Jesus himself demonstrates this reality. Even as he is being nailed to the cross, Jesus prays for his tormentors. Jesus connects love and prayer. Our enemies need us to intercede on their behalf, because they don't know who to pray to or, as in some cases, that they should pray. They are blinded to the truth, and need God to open their eyes. To that end, we pray.

All of this is done, so that we can show ourselves to be the children of God. If we are to be like our heavenly Father, then we must do good to our enemies. Jesus stresses this with two examples. Both examples draw on images that had both positive and negative connotations. He used the sun rising and the rain falling. Jesus said that the sun rise on the righteous and the unrighteous. He also said that the rain fell on the righteous and the unrighteous. In a society that depended on farming, the natural (and normal) pattern of sun and rain was crucial to survival. If the sun was never accompanied by rain, drought would occur. If the rain was never accompanied by the sun, a flood would occur. The righteous and unrighteous share the blessing of a normal growing season. They both share the burden of a drought or flood. We need to recognize that God shows his love for his enemies the same way he shows his love for his people--through loving kindness.

We are called to love by a higher standard. The world loves those who love them. In this, Jesus warns that there are no higher rewards. What you give is what you get. All of humanity, even unbelievers show love to those close to them. God loves differently. The Father loves those who do not love him. He pursues them with that love, so that they might be transformed by it. Jesus calls us to love like that.

So what do we do when God judges our enemies? Here are some things we need to remember:

          1. God hates sin. (see Ps. 5:4-6; 11:5)

          2. God take no pleasure in the death of the wicked. (see Ezk. 18:23)

          3. God is a righteous judge. (see Ps. 9:8; 75:7; 96:10)

          4. God's judgment of others isn't proof of our righteousness. (see Luke 13:1-5)

          5. We must approach the hardships faced by our enemies with gracious humility. (Pv. 24:17-18)

When we remember all of these things, it helps us to understand the mix of emotions we feel. We might feel relief, satisfaction, or joy in the face of justice. The rightness of justice resonates deep within the human heart. There is no reason to feel shame about recognizing the rightness of justice. At the same time, we may feel a profound sense of grief. The fate of unbelievers is clear: they are cut off from the mercies of God. They are left alone to face his holy indignation. The wicked suffer under the wrath of God for all eternity. God's holiness demands it. His judgments are right.

When our enemies receive justice here on earth, it reminds us of the judgment to come. However, we must also remember that these people aren't that much different from us. Were it not for the grace of God, we might be just as blind. In a case like Bin Laden's, one who was the cause of so much death, it is easy to demonize. But he, too, bore the image of God. He was a husband and father. He was also a sinner--a blinded sheep gone astray. A sheep that never met Jesus, the Good Shepherd. Tonight, he is in torment. He'll never find peace.

I feel a slight tinge of survivors guilt. I know that my own sin was deserving of death. For I, along with everyone else, have sinned and fall short of God's glory. My sin was an affront to a holy God. I should have been condemned and executed. But God had mercy on me. In Christ, I have found cleansing and renewal. It is nothing that I did, but rather something that has been done for me. I don't deserve to live under the blessing of God. But I do, and for that, I'm grateful.

What do we do when God judges our enemies? We praise him for his holy, just nature. The thank him for the reminder that none can escape judgment.We remind ourselves of cross of Christ, and the blood shed to purchase our freedom. We mourn the eternal loss of an image-bearer. We weep with those who are bereft of their family. Then we reach out to a lost and dying world, and boldly proclaim the gospel as only means of escaping the judgment of God. We respond by shining forth the glory of God.

Spiritual Songs: "A Thousand Things" by Christa Wells

God is always at work in the lives of his people. Difficulty isn't a sign that God has abandoned us. It just points to the reality that there is more going on than we can understand. This song helps us to see the big picture. It moves us beyond our momentary grief to see how God might use that situation for his greater glory.

This is an awesome song.  It can be found on Christa Wells' album, "Frame the Clouds." It is one of several excellent songs from that album (you can download a sample for free from Noisetrade, see the link below). I think the top three songs on Frame the Clouds are "Weightless," "My Best Remedy (Amazing)," and "A Thousand Things." I encourage you to check it out. Here is a video of "A Thousand Things": 



Here are the words:

A Thousand Things

You're gonna cry yourself to sleep
You're gonna soak the pillow
For many weeks
Why?
Why me?
But in spite of the ache
that doesn't go away
You'll be sharing your story
One rainy day
And at the next table somebody catches your words
He hears a truth that he's never heard
He takes it back to the marriage he'd given up on
Hands it down to his daughter
Who writes it into song
You didn't know

Chorus

A thousand things are happening in this one thing
Like a thousand fields nourished by a single drop of rain
So honey, wrap yourself in promise
While you wait the morning light
A thousand things are happening tonight

You're going to cry yourself to sleep
'Cause for the moment all that you can see
Is what you've lost, lost
Why Me?
But in the midst of the most exquisite pain
You're drawn into a peace you cannot explain
And the praises you sing of a sovereign God
Reach the girl whose last hope is gone
She never thought there was purpose in anything here
Now the see has been planted and it's taking root there
You didn't know.

Chorus

A thousand things are happening tonight
You're gonna cry yourself to sleep
A thousand miracles you'll have to wait and see

FAQs Mondays: "What is the Nature of the Law?"

Last week, we finished looking at part one of A Catechism for Boys and Girls. You can read that post here. Now we turn our attention to part two which deals with the 10 Commandments. Over the course of the next few weeks we will explore those commandments. Today, we will look at questions and answers that help us to understand the nature of the 10 Commandments?

How many commandments did God give on Mount Sinai?

Ten commandments.

What are the Ten Commandments sometimes called?

God's moral law.

What do the first four commandments teach?

Our duty to God.

What do the last six commandments teach?

Our duty to our neighbors.

What do you learn from the Ten Commandments?

To love God with all my heart and my neighbor as myself.

Who are you neighbors?

All the people around me are my neighbors.


The 10 Commandments express God's moral law. The law teaches us how we are to relate to God and to others. The sum of the Law is to love God and to love our neighbors. Next week, we will answer the larger question, "What do the first four commandments teach?"

Sermon Recap 5-1-11

Morning: The sermon, "In Our Place," focused on 1 Peter 2:24-25. In this passage, Peter reminds us of what Jesus did on our behalf, why he did it, what it accomplished, and what it all means.  Jesus took our sins upon himself, so that we might be forgiven and experience righteousness. Through his wounds our relationship to God was healed. All this means that we have been brought to Christ, our Shepherd and Overseer. Peter's reminder helps to motivate us to live a life worthy of the gospel.

Evening: We began our VBS clinics tonight. We learned a couple of the songs from Lifeway's Big Apple Adventure, and we looked at Day 1: Connect by Faith. It looks like we are going to have an exciting VBS.