It was my distinct privilege to baptize Alex, Taylor, Brandon, and Trinity last Sunday night. Since we cannot see the change that happens in someone's heart when he or she becomes a new creature in Christ, Jesus has given us baptism to picture the miracle of being born from above. Plus, to see a young person publicly declare his or her faith in the Lord Jesus is an important step in and of itself - it brings me great joy to see them tell both the church and the world that they belong to Jesus.
Thanks to Betty Ann for all of the counsel, instruction, and prayer that she invested into these young people. I saw God work in these young people through her. There are many of you within the church who also had a part in the lives of one or more of their lives, too, and I thank you for it.
This Sunday, I also have the privilege of baptizing one of our godchildren in California. She is a special little girl named Chayila, daughter of our close friends Aaron and Amanda. Please remember to pray for Chayila as she grows in her new faith. (Her name comes from the Hebrew word in Proverbs 31:10 meaning "noble character.")
It took me a few years after believing in Christ to realize I should be baptized, even though I had been baptized as a youth (not because I believed, but because it was "time"). I encourage every believer in Christ that if you have not yet been baptized that you commit the matter to prayer. I take following the Lord's instruction on baptism to be a matter of gratitude and obedience, but I would never baptize someone who wasn't doing so of their own free will.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
An Insomniac's Theology
I know that many of our church family suffer from chronic insomnia in degrees worse than I've ever experienced. So I tell the following not because my sleeplessness is major or the worst case in the church. Nor do I air my troubles to gain any sympathy - I really don't want that. But I share it because of a lesson learned.
For most of my life, my encounters with insomnia have been sparse and almost always identifiable to particular stress or overconsumption of caffeine. But it was not nightly. Until this year. Slowly, over the course of this year, sleep was getting harder and harder to come by. I hate taking pills, but I resorted to OTC sleep aids, and then prescription. They helped me sleep more, but never generated the really restful kind of sleep.
What I didn't notice was that as the insomnia slowly grew worse, so did my attitude. My temper grew shorter, my countenance became more and more gray, my enthusiasm for many things waned. The change was slow enough that I wasn't fully aware of it. But Lynne, and likely others, were.
When I started getting more sleep from the sleep aids, even though my sleep wasn't great, it was good enough to where my attitude and enthusiasm began to recover in significant ways. I was amazed at how much better I was feeling (because I wasn't really aware of how nasty I was feeling throughout). But Lynne noticed a big change, and gently explained to me how sleeplessness had been affecting me.
The lesson from this for me is that "little sins" work the exact same way. Their effect on our lives is insidious and slow. We are often blind to the impact they have on us. It's not until something jars us, or until a trusted Christian brother or sister honestly tells us, that we realize the slow decline we have suffered.
First, do not be deceived. "Little sins" eat away at your soul, and because of their stealth capabilities, are perhaps more dangerous than "really big sins." Second, be that honest, trusted brother or sister for one another. Not a judge, not a harping nag, but a true friend who lovingly acts for the good. I wouldn't bother with explaining how the sin is sin (we usually already know that), but how you see sin affecting your friend, and how that sin affects you.
Scripture encourages us to be jealous for one another's righteousness. (Matt 18:15; Gal 6:1; 2 Thess 3:15; James 5:19). Realize that we are often blind to the insidious effects of our own sin, and we need someone to "wake us up." But above all, put on love (Col 3:14). Love must be first and last when we work together for holiness.
We are trying a few theories to restore natural sleep, and seeing some success. I imagine sweeping out the "little sins" of our lives requires the same kind of ongoing diligence and attention.
For most of my life, my encounters with insomnia have been sparse and almost always identifiable to particular stress or overconsumption of caffeine. But it was not nightly. Until this year. Slowly, over the course of this year, sleep was getting harder and harder to come by. I hate taking pills, but I resorted to OTC sleep aids, and then prescription. They helped me sleep more, but never generated the really restful kind of sleep.
What I didn't notice was that as the insomnia slowly grew worse, so did my attitude. My temper grew shorter, my countenance became more and more gray, my enthusiasm for many things waned. The change was slow enough that I wasn't fully aware of it. But Lynne, and likely others, were.
When I started getting more sleep from the sleep aids, even though my sleep wasn't great, it was good enough to where my attitude and enthusiasm began to recover in significant ways. I was amazed at how much better I was feeling (because I wasn't really aware of how nasty I was feeling throughout). But Lynne noticed a big change, and gently explained to me how sleeplessness had been affecting me.
The lesson from this for me is that "little sins" work the exact same way. Their effect on our lives is insidious and slow. We are often blind to the impact they have on us. It's not until something jars us, or until a trusted Christian brother or sister honestly tells us, that we realize the slow decline we have suffered.
First, do not be deceived. "Little sins" eat away at your soul, and because of their stealth capabilities, are perhaps more dangerous than "really big sins." Second, be that honest, trusted brother or sister for one another. Not a judge, not a harping nag, but a true friend who lovingly acts for the good. I wouldn't bother with explaining how the sin is sin (we usually already know that), but how you see sin affecting your friend, and how that sin affects you.
Scripture encourages us to be jealous for one another's righteousness. (Matt 18:15; Gal 6:1; 2 Thess 3:15; James 5:19). Realize that we are often blind to the insidious effects of our own sin, and we need someone to "wake us up." But above all, put on love (Col 3:14). Love must be first and last when we work together for holiness.
We are trying a few theories to restore natural sleep, and seeing some success. I imagine sweeping out the "little sins" of our lives requires the same kind of ongoing diligence and attention.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Locked In !!!
Perhaps you didn't hear the news that the Youth Group had a lock-in last Sunday night. Whenever there is a Monday holiday from school, Betty Ann likes to have some event for the youth, whether it's a lock-in or a games night or something else that can go later than the normal Sunday night youth fellowship. For Columbus Day, it was a lock-in. Many, many thanks to Betty Ann for all the hard work in planning the events, and to Debbi Bryarly for feeding the whole crew throughout the night. And thanks to Wal-Mart for not kicking us out during the scavenger hunt (they were very gracious!).
One of the events was called "Stump the Geezer" - a forum for the youth to pose to me difficult questions about the Bible or about theology. I guess I'm the geezer. The first part was like the game "Balderdash", where teams of students were trying to come up with their own answers to the tough questions. I must say that all the teams had very good answers. All the leaders were very pleased with our students' ability to ponder a question and draw upon Biblical knowledge and even logic to formulate a response.
The second part of the activity was a bit unplanned, but also very rich. The game turned into a wide open forum of questions. Our students have a healthy concern for some of the most intriguing questions about the Bible. At times, I felt like Jackie Chan with 8 ninjas coming at me from every direction!
And, yes, they did stump the geezer. Someone asked about the curse of the serpent in Genesis 3 and his "offspring." Who are these offspring? I had absolutely zero recollection of any teaching on that interesting question. Perhaps I could blame that on the late hour? (Later, I read that scholars also find the reference puzzling, but see that it most likely refers to the same concept found in John 8:44, that those who do the deeds of the devil have the devil as their "father.")
Please convey your gratitude to Betty Ann for the sacrifice she makes for our youth. Please pray for her and for all our youth. Please pray about offering your help to Betty Ann for various needs within the Youth Group.
Of course, every time I try to stay up all night with the youth, I do in fact feel more and more like a geezer. Perhaps the game is well-named after all.
One of the events was called "Stump the Geezer" - a forum for the youth to pose to me difficult questions about the Bible or about theology. I guess I'm the geezer. The first part was like the game "Balderdash", where teams of students were trying to come up with their own answers to the tough questions. I must say that all the teams had very good answers. All the leaders were very pleased with our students' ability to ponder a question and draw upon Biblical knowledge and even logic to formulate a response.
The second part of the activity was a bit unplanned, but also very rich. The game turned into a wide open forum of questions. Our students have a healthy concern for some of the most intriguing questions about the Bible. At times, I felt like Jackie Chan with 8 ninjas coming at me from every direction!
And, yes, they did stump the geezer. Someone asked about the curse of the serpent in Genesis 3 and his "offspring." Who are these offspring? I had absolutely zero recollection of any teaching on that interesting question. Perhaps I could blame that on the late hour? (Later, I read that scholars also find the reference puzzling, but see that it most likely refers to the same concept found in John 8:44, that those who do the deeds of the devil have the devil as their "father.")
Please convey your gratitude to Betty Ann for the sacrifice she makes for our youth. Please pray for her and for all our youth. Please pray about offering your help to Betty Ann for various needs within the Youth Group.
Of course, every time I try to stay up all night with the youth, I do in fact feel more and more like a geezer. Perhaps the game is well-named after all.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Meltdown?
Like you, we have been affected by the recent turmoil on Wall Street. The current situation has affected investments, lending, demand for whatever products or services each of us provides, the price of every day goods, and even charitable giving (secular and religious). Very few are unaffected.
Interestingly, most of the downturn is fueled not by economic realities, but fear. When sectors react out of panic and fear, the economy takes a hit. The temptation to react out of fear is worsened when one's trust is in money or retirement accounts or number of customers. If your emotional confidence lies in something volatile, like worldly goods, then when the thing you trust in is proven to be unreliable, panic ensues, which only worsens the problem. In other words, the economy is taking a hit at least in part because our collective trust is not in God, our Provider, but in things that are not eternally good and strong. Our money says, "In God we trust," but our country's trust is less in what the phrase means and more in what the phrase is written on.
If our collective trust was in God, our country would not worsen the problem of economic instability by reacting out of fear. I do not deny the volatility of the market - in fact, that's the whole point. The market is volatile - God is not. The last generation of a relatively prosperous market has lulled us into the false belief that the market is reliable and trustworthy, something that we began to believe we could entrust our security to. But God is not volatile or untrustworthy. He is always the same, always reliable. God will never suffer a "meltdown." God never needs to be bailed out. When our trust is placed solely in Him, there is never a reason to panic or fear.
I have no clue what will happen to the market. God never promised us an economy where we could all afford premium coffees and mobile phones. He promised to never leave us or forsake us. He promised to right every wrong and to heal every wound for those who trust in Him. He promised to be our constant companion both in prosperous and in lean times. He promised to give us everything we need in order to accomplish His will. He did not promise us a daily double tall no whip.
I don't like the prospect of a recession or a lessening of our personal standard of living. But those who have seen joy in our Kenyan friends know that a lesser standard of living does not mean that we have less opportunity for true joy and peace.
Our trust in God also affects our efforts to stabilize the economy. There is no question we as a society should make wise decisions in an effort to keep the economy from taking a serious downturn. But our motive must not be because we think that's the only way we'll be happy. Our motive should be that a maintaining a sound economy is what good stewards do.
No matter what the market does, we have a biblical admonition to always be good stewards of our money. That means that when the economy puts the squeeze on, we must make adjustments in order to live within our means. As Christians, we cannot insist on conveniences that we cannot afford. To cling to material goods because we trust them or we think that we can only be happy with them is a denial of God as our only source of joy and peace. Living beyond our means (or close to the limit of our means) denies us the privilege of helping others in need and helping to finance the work of the Great Commission.
Spend time in prayer to 1) Reaffirm your trust only in God, 2) Reaffirm that He is your only source of soul satisfaction, 3) Commit to always live within the means that God supplies, and to do so with thanksgiving, and 4) Give yourself to God's agenda for mankind with everything He has provided, including time, talent, and resources. Use this uneasy time to make sure your trust is rightly placed.
These times are unsure and tempt us to fear. We only need to fear if our trust is in something other than God.
Interestingly, most of the downturn is fueled not by economic realities, but fear. When sectors react out of panic and fear, the economy takes a hit. The temptation to react out of fear is worsened when one's trust is in money or retirement accounts or number of customers. If your emotional confidence lies in something volatile, like worldly goods, then when the thing you trust in is proven to be unreliable, panic ensues, which only worsens the problem. In other words, the economy is taking a hit at least in part because our collective trust is not in God, our Provider, but in things that are not eternally good and strong. Our money says, "In God we trust," but our country's trust is less in what the phrase means and more in what the phrase is written on.
If our collective trust was in God, our country would not worsen the problem of economic instability by reacting out of fear. I do not deny the volatility of the market - in fact, that's the whole point. The market is volatile - God is not. The last generation of a relatively prosperous market has lulled us into the false belief that the market is reliable and trustworthy, something that we began to believe we could entrust our security to. But God is not volatile or untrustworthy. He is always the same, always reliable. God will never suffer a "meltdown." God never needs to be bailed out. When our trust is placed solely in Him, there is never a reason to panic or fear.
I have no clue what will happen to the market. God never promised us an economy where we could all afford premium coffees and mobile phones. He promised to never leave us or forsake us. He promised to right every wrong and to heal every wound for those who trust in Him. He promised to be our constant companion both in prosperous and in lean times. He promised to give us everything we need in order to accomplish His will. He did not promise us a daily double tall no whip.
I don't like the prospect of a recession or a lessening of our personal standard of living. But those who have seen joy in our Kenyan friends know that a lesser standard of living does not mean that we have less opportunity for true joy and peace.
Our trust in God also affects our efforts to stabilize the economy. There is no question we as a society should make wise decisions in an effort to keep the economy from taking a serious downturn. But our motive must not be because we think that's the only way we'll be happy. Our motive should be that a maintaining a sound economy is what good stewards do.
No matter what the market does, we have a biblical admonition to always be good stewards of our money. That means that when the economy puts the squeeze on, we must make adjustments in order to live within our means. As Christians, we cannot insist on conveniences that we cannot afford. To cling to material goods because we trust them or we think that we can only be happy with them is a denial of God as our only source of joy and peace. Living beyond our means (or close to the limit of our means) denies us the privilege of helping others in need and helping to finance the work of the Great Commission.
Spend time in prayer to 1) Reaffirm your trust only in God, 2) Reaffirm that He is your only source of soul satisfaction, 3) Commit to always live within the means that God supplies, and to do so with thanksgiving, and 4) Give yourself to God's agenda for mankind with everything He has provided, including time, talent, and resources. Use this uneasy time to make sure your trust is rightly placed.
These times are unsure and tempt us to fear. We only need to fear if our trust is in something other than God.
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