Fear Not! Death & The Afterlife From A Christian Perspective

I just finished reading this book by Ligon Duncan, and I have to say that I believe this is THE book to give to someone who is in the process of dying or to give to their loved one.  It is so clear and concise as he brings you to the hope in the resurrection, while answering some very fundamental questions about dying and what happens to us when we die.  Very, very good!  It is a small book and a very easy read, while it helps the reader plumb the depths of this issue.

"My God Is True!" A Journey Down Cancer's Dark Road

In the last couple of years I have been reading a steady diet of books on the topic of suffering.  There are a lot of books on the topic, but not all of them are very helpful.  Here is a book that I would say is THE book to give to a fellow believer who is walking through the dark news of cancer.  It is written by a pastor who went through cancer a couple of years ago - it is part memoir and part theological instruction addressing the spiritual issues and concerns one goes through during this time.  It is a very, very helpful book, and there is much in the way of teaching that could be applied to many issues of suffering in one's life.

Family Reading "The Hedge Of Thorns"

Last night we just got finished reading a book that we have read several times as a family, the book, "The Hedge of Thorns" published by Lamplighter Publishing based on the true story of John Carroll written back in 1611. It is an absolute must read, re-read and re-read for the entire family!  It is a small book that can be read in a couple of settings, it is handsomely bound and is a great addition to the family library.  It teaches on the Providence of God in the midst of suffering, sickness & affliction and how we are to trust in God's care and kindness over our lives as He does put "hedges" in our lives for our own ultimate good.  Below is the publisher's description:

"Based on a true story, here is a gripping account of a young boy who learns the hard way that the choices we make can harm those we love the most. Because he desperately wants to know what is on the other side of a hedge of thorns, he puts his little sister in great danger. From his experience, we learn that God places boundaries in our lives because He loves us. "

How to ruin a good confession... "If...if....if"

This is from our friends at Peacemaker Ministries...very helpful reminders for what makes and can ruin a good confession...

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If, If, If…

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other...Ephesians 4:32
The best way to ruin a confession is to use words that shift the blame to others or that appear to minimize or excuse your guilt. The most common way to do this is to say, "I'm sorry if I've done something to upset you." The word if ruins this confession, because it implies that you do not know whether or not you did wrong. The message you are communicating is this: "Obviously you're upset about something. I don't know that I have done anything wrong, but just to get you off my back I'll give you a token apology."

Here's some "Food for Thought"
How often does if show up in your confessions? A great way to ruin your engine on your car? Never, ever change the oil. A sure-fire way to ruin your credit rating? Never, ever pay your bills on time. What about ruining your reputation at work? Never, ever keep your appointments. And the best way to ruin a confession? Each and every time, use the word "if."
Ken Sande in his book "Peacemakers," reminds us of the power of this little two-letter word. Too many times, it leads to an empty confession. All the words may be right and proper (I'm sorry), but the heart is missing. And anything without a heart is usually dead, good for nothing. The word "confess" means "to agree with" -- you're agreeing that you've done something wrong. If you're not ready to agree, then don't confess. Because that ruins everything.

Barnabas - Son of Encouragement - 1

Everyone would seem to be small standing next to the greatness of the Apostle Paul - however through the years there has been one man who has always gotten my attention - Joseph who was also called by the apostles, "Barnabas." Not much - in comparison - is written about him - yet the testimony of his life is one that catches my attention. Why? I am not sure of all the reasons, but as I read the New Testament account of him - there is something that strikes me that says, "I want to be like him." Many men seek for the advancement of their own name, comfort, pleasure and reputation - not so with Barnabas. Instead, his testimony was one lived out to advance the good, care and reputation of others. Admittedly - maybe one of the reasons I am so attracted to study him is because I am by nature, so NOT LIKE Barnabas! Too often I can find my own heart so preoccupied with my desires, my wants, my preferences, etc. and I see my need to be mentored by his example.

So with this said - this begins a series of blog entries I am starting on "Barnabas - Son of Encouragement." I do hope you find it beneficial for your own soul, as I am also praying that the testimony of this great man's story will have a greater impact on my own life and character.

With this said, we begin. The very first time we hear of Barnabas is in Acts 4:

"34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were
owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold
35 and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to
each as any had need. 36 Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles
Barnabas (which means son of encouragement) a Levite, a native of Cyprus, 37 sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet." (ESV)

The very first characteristic we can see coming from Barnabas' life was this was a man who was concerned for the poor and to those who had need. He was so concerned that he took what he had and sold it and gave it to the apostles for them to distribute as there was need among the people of God. Barnabas was a man whose orientation was not towards himself nor his worldly goods, but instead towards those who are without. In a word - Barnabas was a man of "mercy." He had compassion in his heart towards his fellowman desiring that they be cared for.

Far too often, we make excuses for not walking in an active orientation towards the practical needs of others. We see how Christ walked in this way as well as there were times when he saw the crowds and the multitudes and being moved with compassion, he healed them and fed them.

There is much more from this first passage that we will address in later posts - but let's use this as a point of encouragement to begin today to look upon others in mercy. May it begin with our family members - may they see us dying to ourselves and giving ourselves up in love, care and mercy for them. May it begin with fellow members of your church, your small group. Begin thinking and praying, "Lord how would you want to work your mercy through me today to one of these precious folks?" May it happen through our ministry to the women and children of Forest Avenue, asking and praying, "Lord how would you want to be glorified through our ministry to them this month?" May we all grow in a Christ-centered, God-glorifying, mercy-drenched, love-motivated care for those around us!

World Magazine

Hey friends - if you don't have a subscription to WORLD Magazine - I would highly recommend it! I have been getting this for close to 10 years now and it is absolutely outstanding! It is a bi-weekly Christian news reporting magazine written by theologically and politcally conservative believers. They are fair and balanced in their reporting. Great stuff to get a theologically sound perspective on daily events! Highly recommend it! You can order by loggin on to http://www.worldmag.org/

John MacArthur on Preaching...

As a pastor oftentimes one can struggle when one only hears the "success stories" from well known pastors...thinking, "what is wrong with me? why do I struggle in formulating sermons week after week, when others seem to do it so well?!?" On that note, I sure appreciate Dr. John MacArthur's humility in sharing his own weekly saga..

“I mean, I don’t just sit at my office and say, “Lord, I want to preach a great sermon Sunday. Please, I ask you, give me a great sermon.” No, what I do is I ask the Lord all week for that, and then I seek that by going through the Word of God and reading and reading. And then I begin banging on the Lord, in a sense, by saying, “Lord, I’m struggling with this thing and I want to understand it,” and this one this morning, which isn’t so hot, anyway, I rewrote three times. And on and on you go, struggling with it. But the point is, I realize that God is the only one who can produce through me, but at the same time, I’ve got to be involved in that.”

(from the sermon: “Loving people”; Matthew 7, 7-12)

The key phrase being, "I realize that God is the only one who can produce..." Thank you Lord that you are the One who builds Your church! He does all the work through His word!

The Gospel & Ministry To The Poor

In light of our monthly work through our Care Group ministry to the women and children at Forest Avenue Women's & Children's Shelter...read and be fed:

"Like nothing else could ever do, the gospel instills in me a heart for the downcast, the poverty-stricken, and those in need of physical mercies, especially when such persons are of the household of faith.

When I see persons who are materially poor, I instantly feel a kinship with them, for they are physically what I was spiritually when my heart was closed to Christ. Perhaps some of them are in their condition because of sin, but so was I. Perhaps they are unkind when I try to help them; but I, too, have been spiteful to God when He has sought to help me. Perhaps they are thankless and even abuse the kindness I show them, but how many times have I been thankless and used what God has given me to serve selfish ends?

Perhaps a poverty-stricken person will be blessed and changed as a result of some kindness I show him. If so, God be praised for His grace through me. But if the person walks away unchanged by my kindness, then I still rejoice over the opportunity to love as God loves. Perhaps the person will repent in time; but for now, my heart is chastened and made wiser by the tangible depiction of what I myself have done to God on numerous occasions.

The gospel reminds me daily of the spiritual poverty into which I was born and also of the staggering generosity of Christ towards me. Such reminders instill in me both a felt connection to the poor and a desire to show them the same generosity that has been lavished on me. When ministering to the poor with these motivations, I not only preach the gospel to them through word and deed, but I reenact the gospel to my own benefit as well."
- Milton Vincent, A Gospel Primer

Doonesbury, Facebook & Parenting

Hey folks, here is something for the very random department. I personally love comic strips, yet I normally don't care for this particular one (because of its political slant, etc.) but I had to say this one was absolutely true to life! I had to pass this one along... www.gocomics.com/doonesbury/2009/11/08/

Seminary, The Local Church, The Pastor's College and a Good Friend

(How's that for a title to a blog post?) This last week I received an article published by "BulletinInserts.org" by a good and recent friend that have come to know over the last couple of years, Steve Burchett. His article entitled "Seminary Is Dangerous," just reminded me of God's grace at work in my own life in the past 10+ years. In his article Steve talks about the need for and the centrality of the local church in the life, training and development of a pastor, as well as some very real pit falls "seminary life" can provide. I wanted to forward this article on because I felt was it helpful in identifying some aspects to consider as some contemplate "seminary life."

I went to seminary - however, if it were not for my precious local church - Sovereign Grace Church of Pasadena, where I had godly, humble men who provided an example for me as to what it actually looked like to not just sit around in a coffee shop and pontificate about theology and "great" ideas, but to actually apply it in their own lives of the "gloriously mundane" everyday life of being a husband and father first. I thank God for pastors such as Mark Mullery, Ron Boomsma and Lynn Baird! They provided an example for me as a young seminarian to apply what one wise (and right) Systematic Theology Professor told us on our first day of classes, "You won't learn theology here...we can tell you about it, and teach you about it...but you won't know it, until you apply it...and you can't apply it here as it is intended and put forth for us in Holy Scripture. We see in Holy Scripture the place to apply it is in the context of the local church, not a seminary. We will only teach you some things...but you won't know it until you walk it out in the grit of everyday life in a community called "the local church." I thank God for that professor for doing his job - he pointed me back not to the loftiness of the "greatness" of my own ideas (what a joke), but instead to the importance of the local church. As a young seminarian, I encountered men that I wanted to be like, because they were pursuing Christ. Men who were not famous, nor flashy, but faithful where they lived. Sinless? No. Humble? Yes, although they were quick to confess their own pride and shortcomings. To these great pastors - Mark, Ron, Lynn and many others like them - thanks for being great husbands and fathers first! You have been and continue to be great examples for me - I only hope I might be able to follow Christ, as you have!


With this I wanted to also share how thankful I am for Sovereign Grace Ministries' Pastor's College. I went there after seminary, and I have to say - what I experienced there dwarfed the 3+ years of seminary life. "Seminary life" by itself is a lonely life. Yet, the Pastor's College was different, it was theological training that I was prepared for because of the local church, it was rooted in a local church and focused to send me out to pastor a local church. It was different also in that, for many of the reasons Steve mentions, it focused on the importance of one living one's theology in the home, in a local church - this is the starting point of an elder - how he is at home, with his wife, kids and other brothers. I could go on and on (which I am afraid I have). But Steve, thanks bro for a great article! Thanks for provoking us all (not just seminary folks) to love Christ, to love the local church and to pursue biblical application in humility! Thanks bro!

Discerning Reader - Highly Recommend

Hey folks, I know it has been a while since I have posted last. But here you go... Looking for a great book to for a reading group or something just to read throughout the Fall? I would highly recommend you checking out "Discerning Reader" by Tim Challies at http://www.discerningreader.com/ There are thousands of books put out each year...and if you are slow reader like me, you would like to spend those valuable times carved out for reading on a book that is actually good, edifying, theologically sound and helpful. Check out "Discerning Reader" they have outstanding reviews and book lists! Happy reading!

Our Knowledge of God's Sovereignty Linked To Our Thanksgiving, Worship and Prayer To Christ - John Calvin

Wow - this guy was smart! (Pregnant pause). I know that was a dumb statement to post on a blog...but consider the source. As I read chapter 2 of his Book I of his "Institutes" one cannot help but be both blown away and sent into a place of worship as Calvin speaks to the knowledge of God's sovereignty over all things...and its promotion of prayer, thanksgiving and worship!

"We must be persuaded not only that as he once formed the world, so he sustains it by his boundless power, governs it by his wisdom, preserves it by his goodness, in particular, rules the human race with justice and judgment, bears with them in mercy, shields them by his protection; but also that not a particle of light, or wisdom, or justice, or power, or rectitude, or genuine truth, will any where be found, which does not flow from him, and of which he is not the cause; in this way we must learn to expect and ask all things from him, and thankfully ascribe to him whatever we receive...For until men feel that they owe everything to God, that they are cherished by his paternal care, and that he is the author of all their blessings, so that naught is to be looked for away from him, they will never submit to him in voluntary obedience; no unless they place their entire happiness in him, they will never yield up their whole selves to him in truth and sincerity."

Oh Lord may our entire happiness be in you Jesus!

The Question Of Getting To Know Ourselves & John Calvin

I first began reading John Calvin while I was in seminary - mostly reading excerpts from his "Institutes of Christian Religion." Today, while in my study - I pulled it off the shelf again and began to read Chapter 1 of the first book of his Institutes. There I found a great answer to a very common contemporary question, "How am I to get know who I am?" His first "Book" in the Institutes is all about our knowledge of God. The first chapter is entitled, "The Knowledge of God and of Ourselves Mutually Connected. Nature of the Connection." (Great title!) There Calvin does not lead us to subjective answers to this question but instead calls us to meditate on the "face of God." (Now, if you haven't read it...the whole nature of this post will be for you to spend sometime reading him and meditating on the truths of just his first chapter).

Calvin calls us to meditate on God and when we do so - we find much about ourselves. Not that as we look into the "face of God" through the lens of Scripture that we somehow see ourselves as though looking into a mirror. No - but through looking upon His greatness, His majesty, His power, His holiness, His beauty, etc. we then are enabled to be humbled to begin on the pathway of "getting to know ourselves." He writes:

"For, since we are all naturally prone to hypocrisy, any empty semblance of righteousness is quite enough to satisfy us instead of righteousness itself. And since nothing appears within us or around us that is not tainted with very great impurity, so long as we keep our mind within the confines of human pollution, anything which is in some small degree less defiled delights us as if it were most pure: just as an eye, to which nothing but black had been previously presented, deems an object of a whitish, or even of a brownish hue, to be perfectly white...So long as we do not look beyond the earth, we are quite pleased with our own righteousness, wisdom and virtue; we address ourselves in the most flattering terms, and seem only less than demigods."

This is why I love John Calvin, because he loves the "Greatness of God." Oh friend - in all our searching - may our hearts ache for the knowledge of God! May I ache for the knowledge of the Holy beyond knowledge of myself! And when we learn of the holy - I am driven to look for a Substitute and there at the Cross is mine! The One Who "got to know us" - by being made one of us - the Perfect Man - Jesus Christ! May we spend our days as we "know ourselves" finding ourselves running to the Cross - and there by the work of the Spirit, we are made to know ourselves changing into His likeness! Too often - I have a high view of myself and a low view of God. Oh what a day that will be when we see "true white" - - and rejoice in His purity, unlike anything we could ever imagine! For now, we only see particular "hues" - but all by grace we will see Him - we will then know Him.

I will end this post with this quote: "Though the knowledge of God and the knowledge of ourselves are bound together by a mutual tie, due arrangement requires that we treat the former in the first place and then descend to the latter." May we treat "the former" - God in the first place and then - and only then descend to the latter!

Books For Shepherds

Hey folks I know it has been a while since I have posted. We just got back from the Pastor's Conference with Sovereign Grace Ministries this last week - which was an outstanding time. I have gone to many Leadership Conferences in the past with SGM, but I have to say this was just such an outstanding time. The care we received from CJ and others was so very helpful and enriching. There was a special emphasis this year on growing as shepherds - specifically to those who are suffering. It was both sobering, helpful and refreshing to go back to our churches, seeking to follow The Chief Shepherd - Jesus as we seek to care for the flock the Lord has entrusted with us to led. It was a great time and I just want to say thank you so very much for all your prayers for Dave and I as we went.

On this front - I have been reading - somewhat devotionally - Alexander Strauch's book, "Biblical Eldership" for several months now. It has been such a helpful and sharpening tool for my thinking and practice as an "under shepherd" of God's people. Likewise, a new one from the New Studies in Biblical Theology entitled, "Shepherds After My Own Heart: Pastoral Traditions And Leadership in the Bible." by Timothy Laniak. I have only begun to study certain chapters but the one on Mark's gospel - which is simply outstanding! Enjoy!

"Old Earth" vs. "Young Earth" and suggestions on how to disagree

As I have studied the book of Genesis and many of the issues that surround it there have been some conflicts on how many faithful godly Christians view how old the earth is. Questions are often asked, "Is this 6 literal days of creation? Is this 6 epochs? Is this a literary device Moses is using to display God's creative power in creation?" As I have studied I have come across young earth folks who believe they can state (almost to the year) the creation of the earth as being almost just at 4,004 B.C. by looking at the genealogies and counting the years and so forth (not taking into account the purposes of the genealogies and how there are specific and purposeful gaps in them to communicate not only relation to people, but a theological message as well.) I have also found Christians who are "old earth" folks who believe the earth is about 4.5 billion years old, but who do not affirm evolution and see it as a biblically incompatible worldview with Biblical Christianity...of which men like Dr. R.C. Sproul (of whom we love and highly respect) believed for many years, prior to about 3-4 years ago. In my study, I also came across other believers who, like Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church and the Acts 29 Network who believe in an "old earth" while affirming a literal 6 days (24 hour day) approach to Genesis.

SO WHAT ARE WE TO THINK OF THIS? Although I do find myself in the younger earth camp, who believes Moses is speaking about a literal 6 days of creation - where I do part ways is with what would seem to be the demeanor of some folks (who share my position) in how they look might view men like a "pre-4 years ago" Sproul or a Mark Driscoll. Below are some links to help you not only go through the biblical text but also are instructive in the demenaor of how they do disagree and so forth. I trust this will be a great starting place to study these issues...

• Top of the list - Dr. Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology - the chapter on creation is absolutely outstanding! Grudem is a 6 literal day-er (don't you love labels?), but how he views those within biblical Christianity, who do have different interpretations is wonderful! I only wish I could disagree with folks as graciously, lovingly and caringly as he has done here.


• Also top of the list - would be the lengthy discussion found in the ESV Study Bible introductory notes to the book of Genesis (specifically the sections on "Genesis and History" and "Genesis and Science."


• Third Millennium's article entitled, "Young Earth vs. Old Earth" - it is short, but well laid out and again the tone and demeanor is one that should accompany such a discussion.


• CARM (Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry) has a great discussion between someone talking about evolution and Matt Slick's response - again on this one, it is not just what is said, but how it is said. And likewise Matt's explanation of how important it is to understand what "genre" of literature you are reading when you are attempting to interpret. (Ex: poetry can be taken "literally" as poetry and all the rules that govern poetry). Very helpful! This article is entitled, "The Bible Can't Be Taken Literally" (don't let the title throw you...)

"When Sinners Say I Do" by Dave Harvey

On the subject of marriage and good books to read - here is a great one for couples to go through together. Our Care Group and Ministry Team leaders have been going through this book as a guideline for our discussions in the past year and it is such a great "tool" to drive us back into Scripture that drives us to the gospel, that is our only hope in salvation and transformation. Here is a book review on Challies' blog/website.

A Devotional Plan For Husbands Desiring To Grow Closer To Christ & Closer To Their Brides

Hey guys,

On this theme of growing as men in our vocation (meaning, our calling from God) as husbands, I want to introduce to you (and for some reacquaint) to "The Exemplary Husband" by Stuart Scott. For our men's ministry, several years ago we went through this book together and it is both a great instruction in the biblical role of husband, but it also draws the reader to see, desire and need Christ more and more. In many ways, this is a "systematic theology" (you will see what I mean when you look to the table of contents) on a husband's role, goal and passion. From the outset one sees that Dr. Scott is not leading us to mere moralism. Instead, he is leading us to see, worship and follow "THE" Exemplary Husband - Christ Himself. I would encourage you that if you are looking for some devotional material that will draw you closer to Christ and closer to your bride - get this book and read it slowly, prayerfully with a focus on applying. Enjoy!

Coming Home To Sanity - Seeing "Our Problem" Biblically

Here is part 3 of Dr. Powlison's article "Sane Faith" - If you haven't read the first 2 posts, please do so...

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Sane Faith, Part 3
by David Powlison

We’ve invited Dr. David Powlison to begin a discussion on counseling from a biblical perspective
by writing a series of articles for Boundless. This is a conversation starter: We believe that
thoughtful discussion of significant issues is crucial to the flourishing of the body of Christ.
Focus on the Family does not promote one particular model of Christian counseling, but earnestly
seeks that we all grow in wisdom together. As with any article on Boundless, publication is not
meant to be taken as an endorsement of its content. It is our hope that you are challenged to
consider the relevance of Scripture, the importance of balance in the counseling process, and to
better understand the Lord’s concern and power when it comes to understanding the real life
problems that we all struggle with.

This is the final article in a 3-part series. We encourage you to read part 1 and part 2 if you
haven’t done so already.

* * *
We’ve seen how the therapeutic worldview disconnects from reality. People with problems
are treated less seriously than they deserve. They are given Band-Aid therapies for questions
that call for an organ transplant. Let’s think carefully through a series of implications.

1. The facts are the facts — but what do they mean?
Notice that nobody disputes the facts. Mental health practitioners, friends and family, you,
me, and the God of the Bible agree that Garrett (see part 1 of this series) is narcissistic, has a
bad temper, drinks too much and uses porn. He tries to control his world because he thinks
it’s his world. All agree that Sarah starves herself, works out relentlessly, and puts in a lot of
mirror-time. She demands perfection on her own terms.

Nothing I’m saying questions any of these facts. These are facts that call for explanations and
call out for help.

The question is how to interpret the facts. What do these problems mean? Why do our four
friends live like this? Why are they ruining their lives?

• Does each of them “suffer from” a quasi-medical-sounding disorder that actually
explains his or her problems? Do they “have” diseases or conditions that the labels
correctly name?
• Or are they “doing” extremely disorderly things for extremely confusing reasons? Are
they living out lifestyles that God correctly names?

In other words, is the final explanation for our problems something bad happening to us? Or
is it something bad about us? God’s interpretation is the second one, and He gets last say. A
true interpretation sees the problem of sin concretely, right in the details of people’s lives
and problems.

It’s crucial, by the way, to understand sin accurately. Most people think that to identify
something as “sin” means saying that the person consciously chose to do some bad action.

The person also has the power to Just Say No.

But the Bible comes at sin from the opposite direction. We do many wrong, unloving things
without even knowing what we’re doing or why. Most sin is not a matter of conscious choice.
The “high-handed” sins are conscious. But much of what we do, think and feel expresses that
we are blind, self-deceived, metaphorically drunk or sleepwalking, calloused, acting like
brute beasts, walking in the dark. So we do not have the power to Just Say No.

That’s why we need a Savior from ourselves. Sin actually tends to make us more unconscious
(“blind”) and more compulsive (“enslaved”). I am what I am, and do what I do, even if it’s
self-destructive and destroys my relationships.

Furthermore, sin is an interpersonal offense and insult — to God first. He calls us to love
him utterly ... but we are self-preoccupied in a thousand ways. Most people view “sin” as an
item from a select list of heinous behaviors that hurt others. God sees much further. I can’t
accurately see myself until God makes me self-aware of what I look like to Him.

And, still further, grace targets sin. Jesus comes for sin. Mercy and compassion are given for
sin. Forgiveness buries sin.

Most people think that the word “sin” only implies judgment, condemnation, selfrighteousness
and moral exhortations to try harder. That’s the obvious thing to think. But God is not so obvious. He forgives people who are not righteous, and self-righteousness is a heinous sin. Christ does what none of us can do. Jesus’ blood and righteousness and resurrection set us free from sin’s guilt and punishment. Christ’s Spirit progressively frees us from sin’s power. The Lord’s return will free us from sin’s presence. God directly applies His mercy and power, changing us into the image of His glory.

We’re objecting to the misinterpretations placed on troubled and troublesome lifestyles. We
aren’t denying the trouble. Jesus came for the trouble.

2. Quasi-medical labels are mislabels
Think a bit more about those verbs “suffers from,” “has,” “is” and “has a case of.” We use
these passive verbs to describe our experience of a true medical problem. You suffer from
cancer or have a broken leg. You are a diabetic or have a case of hives. None of these true
medical conditions describes your behavior, your motives, your lifestyle. They describe
something bad that’s happening to you.

Of course, your lifestyle and choices can affect whether or not you develop a medical
problem. Smoking might cause lung cancer. Dirt-bike racing might cause a broken leg. But
smoking cigarettes and riding dirt bikes are things you do — just like drinking too much, or
worrying what people think, or obsessing in front of the mirror. I hope we’d never say, “He
has a bad case of dirt-bike syndrome, and suffers from a smoking disorder”!

Notice that the descriptions of our four troubled friends consistently portray what they do,
how they think, how they react emotionally, how they treat other people. Lise broods
relentlessly on her failings, and is so preoccupied that she’s inattentive to her daughter.
Chandra worries that she’ll be rejected, and hides from people. And each of them lives as if
God were a non-factor.

The truth is that they do their lives; they don’t suffer from their syndromes. By definition, a
human being is an “active verb,” not a passive verb. We want and fear, love and believe, do
and say, act and react. You don’t “have a case of” the way you do life.

3. What people do affects relationships.
Notice that in each of the four stories, what a person does affects other people. Our four
friends do not have private pathologies. They are not the only ones suffering; their closest
relationships suffer as well. Other people worry about them, or feel hurt by them, or get
angry at them.

This is because outbursts of anger, drunkenness, extreme dieting, relentless selfrecrimination,
escapism, instability, and social anxiety intrinsically threaten relationships. By definition, doing such things isolates you from God and people. You can’t live this way and at the same time trust God and love people. These are four different ways of being devoutly self-absorbed. It’s significant that friends and family sense this. They’re troubled by the distance and relationship breakdown caused by self-preoccupation. They have good reasons for their concern. Consider the contrast between this and a purely medical problem. Friends and family will be deeply concerned for you if you have a broken leg or suffer from cancer. But trauma or illness don’t automatically separate people and jeopardize relationships. In fact, usually sickness provides a context in which people come together and feel closer. Friends and family rally to support you. You appreciate the love and concern they show. Medical problems often draw people together in love and appreciation.

Your kith and kin will be concerned for you when you’re sick. They want your body to get
well. But they’ll be concerned about you when you’re devoutly self-absorbed. They want you
to become a different kind of person. That’s one more evidence that the deepest problem for
all four is some form of sin.

Again, remember some things we mentioned earlier. “Sin” doesn’t always mean consciously
chosen badness. Most sins express how what I love has become disordered and dictatorial.

When my core love turns away from God, I blindly attach myself to something else — anything else. I then live out the implications by making selfish choices. And to name your problem as “sin” does not mean that others should scold, moralize or condemn you, or that you should beat yourself up with self-recrimination and trying harder. Jesus Christ comes “so that we may receive mercy and grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). Mercy and helpfulness specifically target sin. So identifying how sin operates opens a wide door to God’s mercy, patience and power. God’s mercy restores all the relationships that sin threatens, reconciling us to God and equipping us to reconcile with people.

4. Quasi-medical labels artificially separate people
As we’ve seen, lifestyle problems harm relationships. But harm can come from the other
direction, too. To put a diagnostic label on a person harms your relationship with that
person. It creates artificial distance. We should be able to identify with each other, but if I
think that you are sick and I am well, I artificially divide us. A true medical problem creates an objective experiential distance between people. Let’s say I get in a car accident and suffer a broken leg. My doctor and my friends do not have broken legs. I hurt a lot and need crutches. They feel perfectly fine and walk normally. Their experience and mine are fundamentally different. I am not well. They are well. I definitely need their help. They can help me precisely because they are not all laid up with broken legs! But if you use quasi-medical labels for what I do, think and feel, it creates artificial distance between us. If I struggle with anxiety or irritation or escapism ... well, so do you. So does everybody. But if you label my struggle as a “disorder,” then that means you are normal, but I am sick. That’s an artificial distance, because none of us gets anger, fear and pleasure-seeking exactly right. I might be having a much bigger problem than you. But our actual differences are matters of degree. I may be stuck and blind, while you’ve grown wise in an area of life. That matters for your ability to help me. But at the most basic level of human experience, you know that you and I have the same general tendencies and temptations. We come in very different flavors and intensities, but we are more alike than different. Our underlying commonality is fundamental. That’s why you see so much of yourself in Garrett and Lise and the others. You can help people precisely because you do have first-hand understanding of the basic human struggles: “There is no temptation that overtakes you that is not common to all” (1 Corinthians 10:13). You can help people precisely because you do know the grace of God at work in you, and that’s exactly what others need: “God comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction” (2 Corinthians 1:4). Because we are in it together we can help each other. Medical doctors don’t ever need to have the same problems as their patients. But brothers and sisters always have the same kinds of problems as their fellow strugglers. Therefore we share the same essential cure, which always involves some form of faith working through love, by the grace of God in Christ. There’s no artificial distance, because we have a real commonality.

5. How do we weigh the various contributory “factors”?
I’ve focused on the heart, the gospel and our identification with each other. But how should
we weigh all the other variables that affect us? No one disagrees that genetics might
contribute a “tendency,” and that the social environment abounds with “triggers.” Countless
factors “influence” us.

But what is the final cause of how you live? Of course, you are your final cause. That said,
let’s look briefly at the many contributing factors. What goes on in your body has an influence. When you experience allergies or sleepless nights, premenstrual hormones or chronic pain, Asperger’s or Alzheimer’s, your mood, thinking and actions are affected. You’re tempted in different ways than when you feel fine.

Similarly, it’s obvious that each of us comes wired from birth with a different temperament.
Some people are more prone to anger, others to anxiety, others to getting discouraged,
others to pleasure-addictions, and so forth. Our bodies affect us in many ways. It’s likely that
Lise’s post-partum hormones color her moods. But does the body give the decisive, underlying explanation for their personal problems? No; no more than it gives the decisive explanation for their good and loving choices. The body is a contributory factor, an influence. It’s not the final cause of either your faith or your idolatry, your kindness or your selfishness. What the people around you do also has an influence on you. Like “nature,” “nurture” plays a role. Every one of us lives in a world filled with competing values, a variety of hardships and many enticements. You implicitly absorb the categories of thought provided by your native language, and the values of your native culture.

For example, Sarah lives in a society that glamorizes unreally thin women. Garrett’s father
was a poor role-model for how to handle frustration, and his bad example “discipled” his son
into temper and drinking. We live in a world where betrayals of trust occur. Chandra lives
among a group of peers who might (and have) hurt her. But do those experiences provide the decisive explanation for their struggles? No. These are significant and impacting, but not determinative. Your surrounding environment influences you in countless ways, but it never determines whether your life orients in the direction of Christ or twists in on yourself.

In fact, countless factors “influence” you. Weather and seasons? You may feel gloomier
during three cloudy weeks in January than you do during three bright weeks in July. The
project due next week in school or on your job? The current state of your personal finances?
World politics before and after 9/11? Immediate traffic conditions and whether you’ll be
late? What’s on TV tonight? Whether your football team is winning or losing? Any of these can affect you. But does any one decisively determine how you will react? No. You are always in the mix.

In fact, the Bible teaches that God actually arranges the stage on which you live. He is the
Lord of history, including your local time and place, and your personal history. Your
particular matrix of influences provides the context in which your faith (or your self-will)
plays out, in which He meets you (or you shirk Him). This awareness frees you. You can seek to understand any contributory influence as just that, as a factor and not the cause. You won’t grant them too much credit, morphing them into root causes and excuses for your sins. But you also won’t dismiss them as irrelevant, ignoring the actual situations and difficulties in which you need practical wisdom and practical mercies.

How you live comes out of your heart. “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow
the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23). The heart is you, not something that happens to you.
Jesus says that when wrong actions appear, that wrong comes “from within, out of the heart
of man” (Mark 7:21). Something about who you are and what you live for sets your trajectory in life and shapes every choice. Deep down, everyone knows this is true. That’s why every sort of treatment or therapy involves taking some responsibility for your life. It’s odd, when you think about it. According to the therapeutic outlook, you have no real responsibility for causing your problems. Your syndrome, disorder or disease was caused by genetics, hormones or how people treated you. But you are given final responsibility for solving what’s wrong. You can get a grip; you can make better choices; you can choose to heal; you can change your self-talk.

Here’s the logic: “You are definitely NOT a sinner. But you definitely ARE your savior.”

God sees things the other way around. You definitely ARE a sinner, and you are definitely
NOT your Savior.

When this merciful Father gets a grip on you, you take hold of Him. As the patient Spirit
changes you, He enables you to make more loving choices. Because the good Shepherd
restores your soul, you flourish. This most personal God teaches you how to talk with Him,
so you stop talking to yourself so much. We’re tangled up, and we also live in tangled bodies amid a tangled world. C. S. Lewis vividly captured the profoundly humbling self-awareness this reality creates:

Man’s love for God must always be very largely, and must often be entirely, a Needlove.
This is obvious where we implore forgiveness for our sins or support in our tribulations. But in the long run it is perhaps even more apparent in our growing — for it ought to be growing — awareness that our whole being by its very nature is one vast need; incomplete, preparatory, empty yet cluttered, crying out for Him who can untie things that are now knotted together and tie up things that are still dangling loose. (The Four Loves, chapter 1)

Many things will influence you. The whole world is knotted up and dangling loose. But you
are still your biggest problem. You need what God alone can give. It’s no accident that Jesus
begins here: “The poor in spirit are blessed” (Matt. 5:3). It’s no accident that Paul heard
God address his fundamental human weakness: “My grace is sufficient for you, because
power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9). It’s no accident that most of the psalms
cry for help. It’s no accident that Jesus is who He is, and does what he does. It’s no accident
that God freely gives what you most need — the mercy to change your relationship with
Him, and the power to change you.

Coming home to sanity
When we see how deeply the “madness in our hearts” (Ecclesiastes 9:3) infects us and our
friends, then we see how deeply the love of God in Christ applies to our deepest problems.
The real Psalm 23 and all the rest of God’s wisdom lead us home. Jesus Christ actually lived and died to rescue us. He now lives specifically to rewire our core insanity and to overcome our inevitable isolation. Best of all, His answer to self-absorption is not just a bunch of great ideas. The Lamb of God is a real person. The Shepherd calls you into a talking, listening, long-term, committed relationship. He’s good, and good for you.

Sane Faith - Part 2: Savior, Sin and "Syndrome" Language

Here is part two of Dr. David Powilson's article entitled, "Sane Faith" reproduced here in its entirety from Boundless.org -MH

***
In the first article of this series, I introduced you to four people who struggle with typical
“problems.” If you haven’t read that article, do go back and start there. This article builds on
what was said earlier.

Each of the four lifestyles earned a label for a person: addictive personality, eating disorder,
OCD, and so forth. But we saw how each one of us can identify with the things they do,
think and feel. You and I might be different in degree from Garrett and Sarah, but we aren’t
different in kind. Lise and Chandra are fellow strugglers, not bizarre aliens. We noticed how
the Bible “normalizes” the seemingly abnormal, reinforcing awareness of our common
humanity.

And, finally, we took Psalm 23 and turned it upside down. The “antipsalm” mapped into the
four lifestyles – and captured the madness in each of us. But the real Psalm takes us by the
hand and walks with us into sanity.

The Awkward Problem of Evil
If you’ve followed me so far, you might feel a question nagging at the back of your mind.
Why don’t we hear more of this refreshing and realistic way to think about people? What’s
the purpose of tagging people with diagnostic labels, of piling on the heavy freight of
“disease” and “syndrome”?

Why doesn’t the therapeutic establishment use human and humane terms to describe
Garrett and the rest of our friends? Their stories describe things we can all understand and
identify with. Why does God explain behavior, emotion and the human heart in such a
different way from the labels? And why do the therapeutic answers never offer anything
remotely like the intimacy of Psalm 23?

The answer to these questions is complicated. But it boils down to two things.

First, if you face our problems for what they actually are, then you have to acknowledge the
problem of evil. What’s wrong is much more serious than a sickness or syndrome. Evil
operates on the inside – bad zeal and selfish ambition. And evils come at us from the outside:
betrayal, false values, poor role models, shallow relationships, a body going out of sync,
injury, aging, death. Both sin and suffering characterize the problem of evil.

But the diagnostic labels (and street wisdom, and even our four friends) never mention the
E-word: evil. What distorts our lives? Evil. What breaks our lives. Evils, both inside and out.
Something very dark and very complex is going on. Bad stuff comes at you, and bad stuff is
an operating system inside you.

No one can fail to see evidence of evil. You feel it. You participate. But people don’t want to
name it for what it is. We might admit the evil of a Hitler or a suicide bomber killing
innocent children. We fail to see the evils operating in normal problems.

Second, if you acknowledge the scope of the problem of evil, then you realize you need a
Savior. If evil infects us all, then someone not under the power of evil must bring light and
life from outside the system of darkness and death. That person is Jesus Christ.

Garrett’s consuming “I insist on my way” is a sin of the heart against God, who alone is King,
whose will is that we love Him utterly. Garrett needs what only Jesus can give,
comprehensive forgiveness and a complete turnaround. Sarah’s endless striving up the
ladder of idolatrous slenderness is a sin of the heart against God, who calls her to love Him
with all her heart. She needs powerful mercy. And so it is with Lise and Chandra, each
putting their own spin on our need for God.

Like all human beings, they are by nature lost in the antipsalm. We need Him to save us from
the inner logic of our hearts. We need Him to save us from suffering and death.

If Garrett manages his temper a little better, if Sarah eats a bit more healthily, they’ve barely
dented the surface of their problems and their need. They need mercies. They need a change
of heart, a different Savior, a different Lord. They need Psalm 23. We all do.

But if you don’t want to need Jesus Christ, then you must deny the depth and scope of the
problem of evil.

The Relevance of Christ
We sought to make sense of these four stories through God’s eyes. We approached people
with troubles in the light of God’s mercies and power in Christ. His love is candid, patient,
and effective. He intends that we each know our need, and find Him true. Then we, too,
grow more candid, patient and effective in our love for other strugglers.

The persuasive voices in modern culture look through different eyes. The diagnostic system
now in vogue makes problems seem smaller and solutions seem easier. It explains problems
as genetics plus the social environment, with a nod in the direction of how you talk to
yourself: “nature + nurture + self-talk.” It sounds so appealing. With just the right
medication, the right kind of friends and the right affirmations to boost your self-confidence,
you can fix your kind of syndrome. The Savior of the world plays no part in the solution,
because alienation from God plays no part in the problem.

There’s a wide gap between medical-sounding labels and the Bible’s straightforward
teaching. There’s a wide gap between therapeutic solutions and self-sacrificing love. Why the
gap?

It’s hard to face reality.

In T.S. Eliot’s words, “Human kind cannot bear very much reality.” Here’s a longer answer,
again in T. S. Eliot’s words. When the Church tells of Jesus, she tells people

... of Life and Death, and of all that they would forget.
She is tender where they would be hard, and hard where they like to be soft.
She tells them of Evil and Sin, and other unpleasant facts.
They constantly try to escape
From the darkness outside and within
By dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good.
But the man that is will shadow
The man that pretends to be.
– “Choruses from ‘The Rock,’” part VI

The man that is shadows every pretense. Goodness is our greatest need. There is darkness
both outside and within. There is tender mercy where we least expect it. And there is the
hard reality that without such mercy, you die. Jesus calls for change of heart.

How much the perfect systems would like to forget all that.

Our Daily Bread - A Mother's Testimony To The God Who Provides

The following blog journal is from "Alpha-Omega" publishers - my wife & I found much encouragement from this - and I trust you will as well.

"I felt like Old Mother Hubbard as I went to the kitchen cupboards that morning. I don't know why I even bothered to look. I knew there was nothing in them to make a meal for my four young children. The situation looked rather bleak for a cook who could make a meal out of just flour, eggs, and milk, but today I didn't even have those ingredients. I looked out the window at the winter snow that covered my garden-no vegetables to be found there. What was I going to do?My husband was on a short-term mission in Africa, and I was all alone, homeschooling our children in the middle of winter. I had no money, no food, and no way to even get out from the blizzard that had blocked our long driveway to our country home. I began to think about how we had prayed and asked the Lord for opportunities to serve Him in missions. God had assured us through His Word that He would keep His promises to take care of us-but now I had four pairs of hungry eyes wondering what their mother was going to do.I don't know what came over me that morning. I opened every cupboard door and the refrigerator. I sat the children down in the middle of the kitchen, and we began to pray. I almost shouted at God when I spoke and reminded Him that He had promised to take care of us. Right now we had nothing-nothing to eat, no one to help, and no escape. Just the night before I had read in Psalm 37:25, "I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging bread." I prayed that God would keep His promises, but things didn't look too good.

When we were done praying, my children and I got up and started our day. Not even thirty minutes had passed when I heard a pick-up truck coming up our driveway. Unbelievably, our pastor from a town 15 miles away walked up to the door and handed me an envelope. The pastor said someone at church had given the envelope to him on Sunday, but he didn't know what was in it. He just "happened to be going" to the town near our home and had decided to drop off the envelope. Then, just that quickly, he was gone.I stood there with the envelope in my hand and opened it. The hundred dollar bill inside may as well have been a thousand dollars to me. I knew the money was God's answer to our prayers. I quickly bundled all the children in their coats and drove to town, following the path our pastor's truck had made in our driveway. God was going to fill up all those empty cupboards!I never knew who our benefactor was, but I did learn a valuable lesson I have never forgotten. God is able to show Himself the mightiest when we are the weakest. "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him" (1 Corinthians 2:9)."