Reminders

 Getting the tree- a Christmas tradition to always do with dad

Christmas is over now, and it has been interesting to watch people’s reactions. It’s amazing how many changes take place just because one day passes. The stores have begun to put away all the wrapping paper and extra displays of Scotch tape, there are no more Christmas cards coming to our mailbox, and I’ve already seen several evergreen trees curbed by the side of the road. The stores are still crowded as they were before Christmas, but this time it’s because people either have gift cards to spend on themselves, or have unwanted gifts to return.  All the anticipation is over for now, and it will be until we’re all shocked to see Christmas displays going up in stores again in about..September. It’s like that scene from Elf where Santa comes into the workshop to announce the success he had in delivering toys which caused all the elves to cheer. What brought an even bigger celebration was his statement that it was time to start preparing for next Christmas. They worked so hard for one day, and as soon as it passed, they poured all of their energy into anticipation of the next.

On Christmas Eve I was out for a run. I found myself praying for myself, my friends, and my family, that we would all be reminded of the real meaning of Christmas. This idea is heard and shared all the time, especially in church. “Remember” you’ll hear, “Christmas is really about the birth of Jesus..the incarnation of the Savior of the world.” While all this is so true, I stopped in that moment and thought about the implications of what I was actually saying. Perhaps we need to be reminded to take the dog out or the trash. Perhaps we need to be reminded to turn in assignments or about certain deadlines that loom over our heads. We need reminders about the names of those people we have apparently been introduced to five times but still don’t know. We may even need to be reminded about when a certain birthday or anniversary takes place. The difference between these things and Christmas is that these things are details that our minds can completely grasp. “Take the dog out, Liann” “Oh, yea, I forgot, you had asked me to do that..sure thing, mom!” “Liann!!! We have an online Philosophy quiz, make sure to take it before Sunday night.” “Oh shoot! My roommate’s birthday is today!” All of these are real life occurrences..instances when I needed reminders about things to complete or prepare for. But that’s just it. When the reminder was given, I knew just what to do and say to take care of the matter at hand. They are details that did not require explanation or elaboration.

I realized on Christmas Eve that although I had good intentions in asking to be reminded of Christmas, I had incidentally trivialized Christmas into a detail that I could grasp like taking out the trash or turning in homework. I had assumed in that moment that wrapping my head around the meaning of the season was not only something that I could do, but something I had already done, and that I therefore only needed a reminder. But a simple reminder does not suffice. It does not let us fully grasp the majesty of the meaning of incarnate Christ.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to be reminded about the real meaning of Christmas. We certainly live in a society that makes it all about the presents and cards and Scotch tape. I was challenged this year, however, to let Christmas become something that can continue to teach me and deepen my love for the Savior that it is supposed to celebrate. Not to mention the fact that the phrase “real meaning of Christmas” does not hold universal meaning. According to Elf, it refers to having childlike spirit and belief in Santa Claus…

This world would get bored with Christmas without the latest and greatest gifts to buy or designer paper to wrap it in. So isn’t it so amazing that dwelling on the implications of Christ’s incartation has the potential to grow continually richer?  

May our prayers ask for teaching concerning this radically life-changing truth.

Jesus, teach us the significance of your coming. And may this alter the way we live not just around Christmas time, but during every day in between.

Blessings to you.

Surely

It's pretty sad that fall is coming to a close..I was just getting used to it too..

We see bad pictures of love

They make us feel helpless

                        Hopeless

                        Discouraged

                        Afraid

We do away with them

As best as we can.

We try not to let them sink in

Surely the love of God is better

Surely it is higher,

For if it is like these

Future glory looks not so bright.

We see good pictures of love

They make us feel empowered

                        Hopeful

                        Encouraged

                        Safe

We soak them in

As best we can.

We want their reality to sink in

Surely the love of God is better

Surely it is higher,

It is more perfect that these,

And so future glory looks bright.

Oh Father we confess that our best attempts at love are but shadows of yours. We recognize that not only the bad, but also the good pictures of love we receive are not worth comparing to the love that you demonstrate to us. As loved as we are capable of feeling in the presence of our dear ones, your love is higher and wider and stronger and deeper. Nothing shall sever us from it.

“Open our eyes, Lord, we want to see Jesus

to reach out and touch Him, and say that we love Him”

And know that by him too,

we are so, incredibly, unceasingly, undeniably, unconditionally loved.

Teach us to work at understanding these things, we pray.

Ephesians 3:14-21

Blessings.

Conquerors

It’s been a while eh? I am in a class called Communication of Biblical Truth, which is hands down my favorite of the semester. It has given me the opportunity to study the same passage of Scripture for 2 months in order to prepare to preach on it. It has been a tremendous blessing. I shall try my best to share my process with you..

I feel indebted to Romans 8..at least to verses 18-39. When I was first assigned this passage I rolled my eyes a little. I didn’t want to deal with Romans 8:28: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good for those called according to his purpose.” This phrase has become quite trite among Christian circles. So much so that it hardly seems to offer much comfort anymore. In peoples’ moments of great pain, the last thing they want to hear is that everything is going to be okay. Even devoted followers of Jesus Christ do not want to be told in their grief that Jesus is all they need. Even though it’s true, it’s certainly not a love-filled response. People who are forced away from their current suffering because those around them are afraid to get a little messy won’t feel loved. And who can blame them?

As soon as I dove into Romans 8 I noticed something very interesting about it. Verse 28 isn’t the main idea at all. The crux of Paul’s message is not future glorification. He does not argue that God’s children will become conquerors through their focus on the glory that awaits them. What he does argue is that in the past, present, and future, the love of Christ was evident, is evident, and will be evident. What he does argue is that through the love of Christ, we can conquer the very things that seem to conquer us. 

In the past, God set in place a perfect plan-a perfect plan to meet our needs (18-25).He oversaw the subjection of creation to futility. He planned for the presence of Jesus Christ on earth. He planned to lay redemption’s foundation through his Son’s death on the cross. What a communication of love it is when plans are set in place to meet the needs of others. It’s like those mothers..you know, the ones who plan ahead for everything? When told it’s going to rain, they plan for tsunamis. When going on an outing with their kids, they pack the car with extra sets of socks and shoes, bottles of SPF 70, and bulging fanny packs of First Aid supplies (proof I grew up in the 90’s). I have many memories of looking at my mother as if to say “what in the world are we going to need all this junk for?!” But her response was always “you never know, Liann”, and oftentimes I would have to take my foot out of my mouth after using her survival tools on the injuries I never foresaw. When my mom planned ahead, there was an aspect of love she displayed in desiring to meet my needs-even before I knew they existed. God did the same with us. 

It’s amazing to me how strong we Christians think we have to be. Believe me, I am first in line to include myself in this. We’ve sub-consciously begun to assume that facades are mandatory. We don’t know how to live without them. I’m not sure where we get these ideas from Scripture, because all I see is open arms. Even in our weakest moments, the Spirit bids us come (26-27). He never demands that we get our act together or at least put a smile on before approaching his throne of grace. He tells us to come as we are- with all the grief and pain and sorrow and anger and confusion and bitterness and sin. Our God is big enough, yet oftentimes we treat him as though he can’t handle it..I would never approach one of my closest friends and demand that they solve my problems. I would never expect that of them, and I’m old enough to know that’s not how life works. Easy answers to deep pain are practically non-existent. What I would hope for from a close friend is their presence with me. I would want them to listen. I would want them to seek understanding. I would want them to meet me where I was and not force me to snap out of it. Isn’t it beautiful that this is the way that the Spirit deals with us? So often we come before him demanding tons of answers that we miss his love for us in that pain that we have. We miss the fact that he’s there, praying earnestly for us according to the will of God. We miss that he is there the whole time, and that he delights in being able to comfort his children through his patient presence that always understands. Oh the deep, deep love..

Of course, as sons and daughters of the King, there is a future glory in the Kingdom that awaits us. He will be our God, and we will dwell with him. He will wipe our tears from our eyes and do away with suffering. He will make all things new, and this will give purpose to our pain. There is a future glorification that will undoubtedly blow us away. There will be no more need for metaphors as we will fail to compare it to any earthly thing we have known. And to think that forever this will be our reality...we have been, we are, and we will always be loved. I like that in verse 35 Paul lists several physical needs that could potentially sever earthly relationships. Distress, persecution, danger, these are all things that could separate us from the love of people. People check out when things get tough. People always see escape from relationship as an option. But as it is written, “nothing shall separate us from the love of God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Nothing is great enough. Nothing has enough power. No sin has enough evil or can do enough damage. Oh Father, your love is strong. 

In people’s most painful moments, we have got to stop assuming that a quick fix or snippet of advice is what they are looking for. Isn’t it amazing how empowered people can feel about their pain as soon as they know that they are not alone in it? People don’t feel alone in their pain when others agree to meet them there. In doing so, we are given the opportunity to be the hands and the feet and the voice of Jesus Christ. We can fill up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions through our ability to be tangibly present with those who are entrusted to us. Our job is not to rate their pain and decide whether or not their reactions are rational. Instead, we are given the privilege of entering into a place of great depth with another-one whom the Father has given to us and asked us to love. It is such a gift, really, to be trusted with such a high calling. And there is no reason for us to assume that loving people is something that comes naturally to us. We have got to stop assuming that loving people is something we know how to do. 

Hallelujah, Jesus is all we need. But as he is currently teaching me through very dear friends, part of him is in them. We cannot separate God from his body. We are his, bound to him by his past, present, and future love. And we have been entrusted to practice this love on each other. Blessed we are indeed. 

Learn to love. Live loved. 

Blessings.

Sword

I'm sure you have heard Psalm 139 before. If not, it will probably be one of the first introduced to you should you choose to explore the Christian realm of thought. Christians love this Psalm. They love it because it speaks directly to them. They love it because it tells them they are loved. They love it because it tells them that there is always someone with them..and that someone is God. I say "they" because to be honest, I have grown numb to Psalm 139. Before I thought it was a classic example of "familiarity breeds contempt", and that I was just way too familiar. Truthfully, it was never the case that the comfort from these words had simply "faded away". Comfort was never there. I never heard these words and felt a sense of safety and peace. I thought maybe they were true for others, but they were never true for me.

The problem with human solutions to human problems is that we can't deal with complexity. We only do what we know how to help ourselves, and the only thing we know how to do is reduce. Athletic trainers and nutritionists will say that proper exercise and a healthy diet will lead to more energy and to a better self-esteem. "Your lack of happiness is a physical issue" they might say. A therapist's advice would be to look within. They would express the importance of feeling and getting to the root of the issue. Christians might assume that it's a spiritual problem and ask the inevitable question "have you prayed and read your Bible lately?" And some others might assume that there is a deep moral issue or unconfessed sin that is dragging you down. "Or is it a relational issue?" another might inquire. None of these ideas are wrong. Oftentimes our realization of these problems and solutions are enough to dull the pain. But there is still something missing. There is still a part of us that feels left out, as though we're wearing a band-aid while still suffering from an open wound that lies beneath it.

I saw the other day that the Bible is the only source that doesn't employ reductionist theories. It does not try to fix us on one or two levels while letting the other aspects of us dwell in the corner (for more on this subject give a listen to Tim Keller's "A Wounded Spirit"). We are told that we are made in the image of the living God including the ability to feel and think and relate and choose.

When God put Adam in the garden he told him to be obedient about the tree... but he failed. When Jesus was in the garden God told him to be obedient about the tree..and he was. But his instruction was a bit more extensive than Adam's. He was told he would be broken emotionally, physically, relationally, spiritually. He would be broken in every way that he could be. On the cross he would not be able to escape his humanness, and it would completely defeat him. Jesus had to mend the wound that Adam caused. He had to stretch out his arms and let himself be beaten and mocked and abandoned by his Father. He had to be crushed in every way. Then, and only then could he make way for man to know the meaning of total redemption. He had to feel pain unto death in order to offer us physical strength. He had to feel the shame of the cross in order to offer us honor. He had to feel totally abandoned in order to offer us relationship. He had to bear the weight of sin in order to offer us forgiveness.

It is through these things that we can realize the meaning of the words "by his wounds, we are healed". God does not reduce us to just emotions, or bodies, or spirits. He does not do this because we are much, much more to him than that. His love for us, a total love can be seen in the fact that he did not reduce the sufferings of Jesus either. To the degree that Jesus was raised and glorified is the degree to which he desires to do the same for us. To those who by faith identify themselves with Christ in his afflictions, he will give the right to become his heirs, his children, his inheritance.

But until then, we are here. We live in the midst of a broken people who do not know how to heal themselves but who constantly try. We so long to be in his presence and to see his face and for our faith to be sight. What a glorious day that will be! But even in the midst of our suffering, and even in the midst of our pain, God wispers some words to us in his word that have more comfort to me now than ever before.

"Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?..." These words of Psalm 139 are so rich when we consider the depth to which he knows us due to the depth to which he suffered for us. He does not desire to fulfill some parts of us, but the whole thing. In complexity we were created, suffered for, and now are being redeemed. We can utter "you make beautiful things" to God in comfort that these words are true now and will be even more so when we see him face to face.

We will always be living in want for more as long as we live in a world of reductionist theories. It is safe to assume that they are all around us, but let us not carry these assumptions to the Word of God. It truly is a sword, our only sword, and hope of defense.

Rejoice in these truths with me. Let us magnify our great God together.

Blessings.

Hope and War

To say that things here have been busy is an understatement. Although, I cannot deny that my tendency to accept additional opportunities on a day to day basis doesn’t help. And I know that in all honesty, I would not have it any other way.

I have been learning and growing a great deal through my classes and independent studies, and I shall share my findings at a later time. But for now there is a story that I want to pass on that was told to me by one of my friends after an eventful trip on one of Chicago’s inner city trains..

She said that while aboard the train a man, visibly drunk, began talking about himself and his life. His words were often short of comprehensibility, but then he clearly spoke, almost directly to her.  With a certain level of sincerity he said, “Do you know what the level beyond insanity is?  Hopelessness. And that is where I live.” Given his condition this was especially profound.

According to this man, being insane is better than being hopeless, and I believe that our society as a whole would agree. To be insane indicates a lack of normality and a surplus of idiocy. But if hope dwells in the midst of these things, who cares? What classifies being “normal” anyways? A hope-filled fool is still a fool, but somehow he’s a fool that some will be jealous of. Somehow others will still long for the satisfaction that he has despite his folly. The opposite is true for similar reasons. A hopeless rich man is still rich, but somehow none of it matters if at the end of the day his things try to satisfy him in vain. And those who are jealous of these men will pursue their lifestyles, only to be left just as empty handed.

The conclusion that hope trumps insanity and lives of wealth and fame carries very interesting implications. Consider for a moment the questions “what is man’s purpose in life?”, or “why does man exist?” Does not the answer have something to do with hope? Is it a mere coincidence that within mankind all long for it in a certain way? I once heard someone say that all men live as though there is a God. I suppose this universal longing that man wrestles with is just one of the ways in which this quote is proven true. All men want safety and security and perfect fellowship and to be loved and to no longer experience pain…aka they want Heaven. Exactly what God has designed for men is the fulfillment of their every desire. But the devil is very good at what he does. His power to convince people that they can find hope for themselves creates a vicious cycle, and at some point, it always fails to satisfy.

It is more clear to me why Paul would command people to think of things that are true and noble (etc.), for with these thoughts we fight for hope and crush the enemy’s attempts to kill it. The battle for hope is just one of the ways that we participate in the greater Spiritual war that exists. As John Piper would say, “Life is war. That is not all it is, but it is always that.” We have got to fight for hope, because there are a lot more people out there who need it than just the man on the train.

Let’s take 1 Peter 3:15 seriously. But before we can give reason for our hope, we must have it in the first place. Study the implications of the surrounding verese in 1 Peter 3..you'll be amazed.

Blessings.

Psalm 143

"Hear my prayer, O LORD;
give ear to my pleas for mercy!
In your faithfulness answer me,
in your rightousness!
Enter not into judgement with your servant,
for no one living is righteous before you.

For the enemy has pursued my soul;
he has crushed my life to the ground;
he has made me sit in darkness
like those long dead.
Therefore my spirit faints within me;
my heart within me is appalled.

I remember the days of old;
I meditate on all that you have done;
I ponder the works of your hands.
I stretch out my hands to you;
my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.

Answer me quickly, O LORD!
My spirit fails!
Hide not your face from me,
lest I be like those who go down to the pit.
Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love,
for in you I trust.
Make me know the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul.

Deliver me from my enemies, O LORD!
I have fled to your for refuge!
Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God!
Let your good spirit lead me
on level ground!

For your name's sake, O LORD,
preserve my life!
In your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble!
And in your steadfast love you will cut off my enemies,
and you will destroy all the adversaries of my soul,
for I am your servant."


"O God, it is amazing that men can talk so much,
about man’s creaturly power and goodness,
when, if thou didst not hold us back every moment,
we should be devils incarnate.
This, by bitter experience, thou hast taught me concerning myself."- Valley of Vision

Amazing grace..how sweet the sound.

Blessings.

A Year Ago Today

I picked up my prayer journal last night and was elated to see an entry from exactly one year ago. I remember the very circumstances of that prayer, as I found myself in a time of unrest and uncertainty. I was still at PBU main campus and knew it wasn’t a fit for me, and I had not yet decided on an alternative. Some of my prayer reads “Lord, teach me what it means to rest and to be at peace in your presence, for it is there that my worship of you is free from ever-consuming thoughts of self.”

If only you knew the things that the Lord has been teaching me the past few weeks..

If you knew these things you would be astounded..as I am. In one of my classes we have been looking at the ministry of Jesus and drawing out principles for our obedience in making disciples. In Mark chapter 6 Jesus sent his disciples out to perform miracles and to proclaim his saving name. Upon their return, Jesus’ words to them are “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while” (verse 31). Even as other verses in this chapter reveal, Jesus values rest, Jesus values prayer, and Jesus values reflection and thanksgiving. He led his disciples by example and withdrew himself often to pray and to get alone with his Heavenly Father. How much more important then must it be for us to do the same? Not only that, but rest is essential. By it, Jesus was able to jump right back into ministry as he called his disciples to do 6 verses after he called them to rest.

That’s just it, the ministry never stops. Our un-believing friends don’t just disappear. Those we are called to disciple remain in our lives.  Our classes and workplaces and homes and friends will continue to prove to be opportunities for us to minister grace upon the undeserving. And what a gracious thing this is, for we are undeserving ourselves.

May the Body of Christ glean more joy from resting in the goodness of Christ. For it is in the secret of his presence that we find restoration in the deepest sense of the word. We cannot find true rest in theology, Christian fellowship, and the reading of the Scriptures alone. Rather it is through communion in these ways and others that connects us back to our God, our Savior, and the Spirit of truth that reminds us of our rich inheritance in Him- the source of eternal good. May we delight in spending rest-filled time with Him, and in our moments of restlessness such as the one I experienced just a year ago, may He reveal to us the things that we are placing before him and worshipping alongside him. As Augustine would say “He loves Thee too little who loves anything together with Thee which he loves not for Thy sake.”

This year my new prayer becomes thus “In the quiet, in the stillness I know that you are God. In the secret of your presence I know there I am restored. When you call I won’t refuse. Each new day again I’ll choose. There is no one else for me. None but Jesus…”

By grace may these words ring true in my life and in yours.

Blessings.

Reward

1 week down..it’s been a crazy one!

For my Missions class this semester, I have to read John Piper’s Let the Nations be Glad, among other texts. I would encourage anyone to read it..just make sure you have some time for digestion on your hands! In it, Piper quotes John Scott who writes “The highest of missionary motives is neither obedience to the Great Commission (as important as that is), nor love for sinners who are alienated and perishing (strong as that incentive is, especially when we contemplate the wrath of God), but rather zeal- burning and passionate zeal-for the glory of Jesus Christ.”

At first I thought to myself “hmm..that’s a nice quote. ..Yay Jesus!” But in all honesty, the more that it has sunken in, the more I have realized that its implications are quite radical..especially to the modern believer.

For most of the summer I have been reading and processing the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 9. What has been particularly challenging to me is verses 15-18 where Paul describes the different rights that he desires to put aside, that the Gospel might not be hindered:

 “But I have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing these things to secure any such provision. For I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of my ground for boasting. For if I preach the Gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still entrusted with a stewardship. What then is my reward? That in my preaching I may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the Gospel.”

The right that Paul is referring to in these verses is his right to be paid for his ministry. The rest of the chapter up until this point makes that distinction clear. And yet, Paul says that he would rather die than let this right get in the way of others hearing and receiving the Gospel!!

I chose to think of it this way:

Pretend that some scientist found the cure for cancer. Imagine that this scientist told you, therefore entrusting you with an amazing message of hope. You would have 2 choices. You could either use that information to your advantage, elevating yourself with it and desiring that others praise you for it and reward you for it, or you could proclaim the message for what it is, celebrating with those you tell that cancer indeed has a cure.

When believing Christians tell others about Jesus they have a similar option, so it seems. We can  emphasize people pleasing through a more social gospel presentation, and we can pat ourselves on the back and think that through obedience to the Great Commission that we are somehow more righteous and deserving of praise. Or, we can celebrate the work of the Savior on the cross, reveling in his greatness, his glory, and in his sovereignty over all things. For Paul, it was not his ability to gain that he saw as reward when it came to the Gospel. The Gospel was his reward. It was his motivation. It was his source of delight.

So we could either tell people that there’s a cure for cancer in order to personally gain, or we could tell people that there’s a cure for cancer, and celebrate the good news all over again with each proclamation of the good news. May disciples of Jesus Christ see that in a similar fashion, our Gospel presentations are for us too..that we may be partakers of the Gospel alongside those we tell..that we might enjoy and celebrate what the good news of Jesus Christ does in the present!

 Believer, may the Gospel be new to you today. May your delight in it alone, and in Jesus Christ himself satisfy you. May He be your prize, and may you count celebrating him through sharing the Gospel all the reward you will ever need. And to think that eternal glory is on its way too..how unworthy we are of this bounty of grace.

Blessings.

Beginnings.

It’s hard to believe that I’m back in Chicago, diving right in to all things school. New beginnings always cause shifts in perspective for me..and rightfully so. It’s almost like they’re new chances to do things differently, having learned some of what not to do the time before. But I suppose this time around there’s a strange calm about my attitude. I’ll call it peace. Now, this certainly isn’t reflective of the 14 hours of rest that I had in-between camp and my departure from Philadelphia. I have no other explanation than the assurance that I have that comes from a relationship with the living God who pursues me daily without delay. There is so much to learn about Him, so many details in Scripture to chew on. And yet, as he showed me this summer, the ability to sit and bask in the love and greatness of Jesus Christ is so satisfying, and so uplifting that the believer need not feel dismay in the face of change. After all, the author of this faith knows no inconsistency.

Yesterday Moody held a ceremony to welcome in the new freshmen and transfer students. We did a prayer walk around the campus in order to speak with the Lord about the coming year, the students, the leadership, and the fruit of MBI. It was neat to see hundreds of people all gathered around a similar plea: that the Lord would bless and protect the ministry of Moody, that it might remain one that savors Jesus Christ as the center of all things, thereby bringing him glory. It’s a cool thing to be reminded that even in this place the kingdom is being built through ordinary people who have decided to put what little they have into the hands of a mighty God.

All this reminds me of a passage in Ephesians 4 concerning spiritual gifts. Within the body, each member has a different role that is to be used for the edifying of the body and the equipping of the saints (verse 12). Sometimes these gifts take us to different places and down paths that could have hardship in store. And yet, what a promise it is to think that these efforts (if done for Christ) are never done in vain. As the next verse states, we will each do our ministry as we are called “till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God..to a measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” In other words, we will live out our vocations and ministries using our gifts until He calls us home and we see his face. Then all the work will be finished, all tears will stop, and we will all know who he is, and we shall be like him!

While goodbyes from home and camp may be bittersweet, I thank the Lord for another opportunity to study at school, in preparation for what lies ahead for me. I thank him for his sovereignty in leading my friends and family in separate directions, while uniting us under the same heavenward goal. May the God of peace continue to fill me with confidence and joy at the thought of a chance to be a part of His work here on earth. And may his followers rejoice at the thought of the coming day when the work will cease, the Kingdom will be built, and when we will be his bride. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound…

Blessings.

Turn Not Away

This past week at camp I had the opportunity to counsel a group of Junior High girls. The girls were from all over, and they definitely had their differences. But looking back on my time shared with them, I rejoice that the victories that took place were spiritual ones. I rejoice that the Gospel of Jesus Christ was exalted and clearly recognized as the reason for these successes..

There was one particular night during the evening chapel service where one of my campers was visibly moved. I could tell that the Spirit was stirring within her, challenging her with the words of the speaker pertaining to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Upon his conclusion, he allowed time for the campers to consult a counselor to talk to or to pray with. As soon as the invitation was opened, I locked eyes with this camper. The expression on her face was one of fear. Whatever she wanted to talk about was serious..and it was gripping her. She had some business to do, and she had to do it now. When I asked her what was troubling her she replied “I’m not sure. I’m not sure that if I died today I would see Jesus.” What a joy it was for me to explain the Gospel to her again and then to take her through some passages in 1 John that offer encouragement and assurance in times of doubt. She made a decision that night to commit her life to Christ in all assurance that he would adhere to the promises of salvation found in his Word.

What a delight to be used as an instrument of God’s grace! More than this I was struck by her absolute sincerity concerning the matters at hand. From the look on her face to the tone of her voice, I knew that she was serious about getting serious with God. He had spoken to her, and there was no way that she was going to ignore his call. As Dallas Willard said in his work The Divine Conspiracy, “When we see Jesus as he is, we must turn away or else shamelessly adore him. That must be kept in mind for any authentic understanding of the power of the Christian faith.” This camper had an authentic encounter with the risen Christ…and she was not about to turn away.

Grace invited this camper to approach the throne of God with boldness that night. By grace she has been saved, through faith. And it is by grace that I was able to witness it all.

May we rejoice at the thought of being united and pursued by this great God of grace, and may we be challenged to respond to the unfailing love of Jesus that demands nothing, but everything at the same time.

Blessings. 

Summer Time is Here!!

As you may have noticed, I have yet to post for a few weeks now. I have been up at Camp Calvary working on staff preparing for the coming summer camp season. With limited internet access and a full schedule, blogging has not been high on my priority list,  but this is in no way indicative of my excitement towards all that God is currently doing here!

 The staff hosted a banquet for friends and family of the ministry just yesterday evening. The camp director had an opportunity to share the history of Camp Calvary, its current ministry and impact on the community, and the future plans and goals for its expansion. It was a rich blessing to hear even more God stories that took place through the years besides the ones I have concerning how God worked in and through me last summer. I cannot describe how joyful it is to work for weeks in order to prepare to minister to kids, and then to watch God do infinitely more than we could have imagined upon their arrival.

Matthew 6:21 has been consuming my thoughts and transforming my attitude towards this summer. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” I heard a message once by Randy Alcorn concerning this verse and its context. He emphasized that we will have a heart for the things that we invest our treasures into. This means that if we place our treasures such as time and money into Missions, then we will have a heart that values and prioritizes it. And it is amazing how much more appreciation we gain for people once we know their stories and understand their circumstances.

In the same way, God is teaching me to view the everyday, mundane tasks and to-do lists at camp as investments to the big picture of the ministry. Pulling weeds isn’t just pulling weeds, and cleaning isn’t just about fly swatters, mops, and bottles of Windex. I must see the time that I put into these tasks as opportunity for the Lord to mold and prepare my heart for his high purposes..

Last year I remember sitting on a hill beside the pool with a junior high girl named Sydney. I remember sharing the meaning of repentance with her through a glance at Isaiah 6. I remember her response. She trusted the Lord as her Savior right then and there. I remember thinking that nothing could be sweeter. This time around I am more than excited at the fact that the Lord will be working in the hearts of young people in similar ways. While we are not always promised that we will see all the fruits of our labor, we must believe with great faith that the Lord will do more than we could even ask of him. Oh the stories that there will be to tell..

I will do my best to share these stories as they come. I covet your prayers until then.

“Take all my cravings for vain recognition, fleshly indulgence and worldly ambition. I want so much Lord to make you my focus, to serve you in secret and never be noticed. So I surrender all to you, and I surrender all.”

Blessings.

The Psalm I Sing

For those of you who have been following along in this journey with me, thank you. I have very much enjoyed sharing the workings of my Savior with you. I am back in the Philadelphia area now and looking forward to all things summer. But, before I “close the door” so to speak on this semester, I thought I’d take some time to reflect on my time in the windy city.

If you take a minute and read Psalm 39, it describes my experience in Chicago quite well. It is a Psalm of David that begins in confession. David made a deal with himself, and with God. He decided he was going to do the right things, keep his tongue from evil, and strive toward peace. These things are great right? I mean, it sounds like he had wonderful intentions. But David says in verse 2 that after doing these things, his distress grew worse. This is because he was trying to be righteous. He was trying to find liberation in the Law..but it was nowhere to be found. His prayer then shifts in verse 4 to say “O LORD, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!” it’s almost like an Isaiah 6 moment for David. Instead of counting on himself to be good, he turned and worshipped God in truth just by humbling himself and deeming God worthy of his affections.

As I drove out to Chicago I found myself thinking about all of the ways that I could establish myself and begin my life there. But I didn’t find peace or rest in these thoughts. It’s a lot of responsibility to wake up every morning and depend on yourself to complete both the mundane and the magnificent tasks of the day. If we screw up, we have no one to blame, and only fingers to point at ourselves. So I understand why David’s distress grew..he was counting on his imperfect flesh. But to wake up to grace and to a God who knows and saves and redeems and forgives and justifies…these things I found comfort in. Once I was able to say “Lord, let this semester and this move be about you” I was filled with a lasting peace that I cannot describe with words..I can discern 2 reasons why:

First, I wasn’t counting on myself, so I didn’t have any reason to be disappointed. While I was actually the instrument used, God made all the music. Secondly, I stopped trying to be my own prophet. I realized that I had been telling God what I wanted to do, then asking him to bless it, instead of asking God what his will was so that I could walk accordingly in obedience. It is so easy to get excited about something, then as the Lord to join, when really our position should be humbly beside David, asking for the privilege to be a part of the work that God is already doing. Oh that the act of obedience would be cherished for its simplicity, beauty, and significance to the eternal Kingdom of God!

And so, my prayer of thankfulness to the Lord after this semester is for teaching me the humble way of his Son Jesus, and then giving me the desire to live the same way. I praise Him for using me despite my sin, for deepening my love for the urban poor through Gospel-centered eyes, for supplying me with wonderful friends among countless other blessings, and for pursuing me still, as he always has done. As verse 12 in Psalm 39 says, Lord, “I am a sojourner with you”. I praise him that I delight more than ever that this is so.

Let us continue this journey with the Father, not forgetting to look back in order to tell him thanks for all that he has done. What a semester, what a year! Great is his faithfulness.

Blessings.

Rest

We had a worship chapel this morning and I was more than refreshed. For a portion of the service we took some time to pray and to cry out with earnest hearts to the Lord concerning our shortcomings and our desperate need of God’s graces. Something that the worship leader said stuck out to me. He said “worship the Lord with your weaknesses; worship the Lord in your wounds.”

I felt so weak this morning, so inadequate. I have been sick all week with the flu and who knows what else. I can’t remember a time of more physical frailty. And yet unlike so many human institutions that are always requiring that I be ready and prepared and put-together, this morning God was telling me to come just as I was. Every weakness in hand, every failure in mind, every blemish unhidden, and with no shame. I could sing that he made beautiful things, knowing that that aspect of beauty refers to this depravity of mine that he can make new. He knows how to redeem what he already calls good.

How precious these moments are when our pride is lowered to the point when we know we are weak and yet see him in the heights in our place, as our reward. To know that he is and that he always will be in this position of glory as our God.. truly there is no greater rest than this. I encourage you today to sit at the feet of Jesus, to seek his glory, to seek his face. For no other reason than because he is so much greater, so much bigger than whatever trial, whatever mountain, whatever giant you are facing. Take heart, dear brother or sister, your God can. And if you don’t know him in this way, I urge you to discover for yourself what Jesus meant when he said  “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” – Matthew 11:28.

By His wounds, may we be healed…not just once, but every day, in every circumstance, in every weakness and failure and fault. “There is hope for the helpless, rest for the weary, and love for the broken heart. There is grace and forgiveness, mercy and healing, he’ll meet you wherever you are, cry out to Jesus.”

Be encouraged.

Blessings.

Hope to Do What?

Last Easter I took a little road trip with some friends to Minneapolis to visit John Piper’s church. He preached from the prayer of Paul in Ephesians 1. Some of Paul’s words are as follows: “I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power towards us who believe..” And this power within us is the same power that raised Christ from the dead (vs. 20) and placed him at the right side of God the Father (vs. 20b). Piper’s main point was that believers must meditate on these realities…for the remainder of their days. Even that would not be enough time for them to grasp how much hope is in them.

This concept of hope seems always to be an Easter morning theme, and rightfully so. If death defeated Jesus, then all the claims he made about himself wouldn’t mean anything, and they would have been buried along with him. But since Jesus defeated death, we must pay attention to those claims, because they escaped the grave along with him. They still stand true. Death has lost its sting, and hell has lost its victory. We worship a living Lord.

These are all truths that I expected to celebrate at church this morning. Little did I know…

I went to see the sunrise over the lake this morning since I had not been down there in a while. I didn’t have much of an agenda; with all of the recent rain we’ve been having all I wanted was to see the sun. I knew I would have time to get my regular service at 11 at some point. But as soon as I got there I felt like an agenda was handed to me. There was a sunrise Easter service on the shores of Oak Street Beach comprised of hymns, readings, and a sermon from Matthew 28. Afterwards the congregation headed back to their church building for breakfast. And that’s when I saw them: two homeless men huddled under blankets in the tunnel system that led up to Michigan Avenue. I’ve see them there before, so it’s not like I was shocked to see people sleeping on the streets. I live in Chicago after all. But the sight of these men was piercing. Here I was, walking with a group of religious folk in their Sunday’s best who complained about the sand in their high heels and the wind that messed up their hair, while these two men laid on a bed of sand, exposed to the wind all night long. I felt like I was in a modern version of The Good Samaritan.

Something in me snapped, and I couldn’t do it anymore. I couldn’t go out and eat with the congregation. I couldn’t bring myself to leave the beach. All this time I have been reading through the Gospels, for at least a month now. I’ve read them each twice. I have read the words of Jesus, of his compassion for the poor, made discoveries about his claims, and learned about the heart of the Gospel message. Jesus hated when the Pharisees and even his own disciples would separate themselves from the tax collectors and sinners. He hated these great divides. I found myself experiencing a similar situation. Those who passed the men did so quickly, as if to get it over with. They had their agendas and did not want to be inconvenienced. “That is not genuine Christianity” I thought to myself. What good is our religion if we just keep it to ourselves? What good are gifts and blessings and resources if we cannot use them to encourage others in the name of Jesus Christ? If we don’t, how will they know that he is the Messiah, that he indeed is risen? The same hope that Piper preached about a year ago and that churches today celebrated in light of the resurrection seems empty if it does not change us or cause us to respond. What are we going to do with the hope that we claim is so real?

I spent the next hour or so with these men who I now know as Henry and Leon. We had breakfast together courtesy of MacDonald’s, and talked about some of their latest adventures on the streets. I woke up this morning thinking that I would learn more about the hope that there is to have in Christ, but instead I was presented with an opportunity to do something with it. What a blessing.

If there is something that I would challenge you to do, it’s not to go out on the streets looking for homeless people to feed. If you got this sort of opportunity, sure, welcome it. People on the streets have some great stories to tell, and love to find people who want to listen to them. What I would challenge you to do is to be armed with the hope that the resurrection of Jesus Christ brings to you who have decided to follow Jesus. In your everyday, who can you reach with that hope? In 1 Peter 3:15 it says “But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.” Friends, how can we give reason for a hope that we don’t display? If we keep our faith to ourselves, how will others know to ask us about it?

Notice that in each of the Gospel accounts after Jesus rose from the dead, he immediately told his disciples to act upon what they had witnessed. He commissioned them to go into all the earth and to make disciples. Jesus urged his followers to do something with the hope they had. Hope must turn to action. Whether in the big things or in the small things, may we live as people who hope. Even the faith of a mustard seed and small acts of obedience in the hands of a mighty God can accomplish much. Be encouraged.

A Prayer of Confession

“Forgive us for being afraid of that

Which we cannot understand or control.

We too often reject the way of Jesus Christ

Because self-giving love appears to be

So impractical and dangerous.

O God, make us followers of the way of the cross,

Trusting in your resurrection power.

Shine the light of your good news through us

That others may know your eternal and abiding love.”

Blessings.

It is Finished, it is Paid

I got the opportunity this past week to go out with a group on campus called Student Outreach. This ministry is geared towards Gospel-centered evangelism. We gave out the Gospel of John among other tracts in Millennium Park, and moved into the subway system to do the same when it started to rain. I was able to have some very interesting conversations with others as we waited on the platform in between the red line trains. More than once I was challenged by questions concerning Jesus’ death on the cross. One individual said something along these lines: “I don’t get why Christians always talk about Jesus’ death on the cross. It seems to me like a sob-story, used to make us feel guilty, like we owe him something now. I didn’t make Jesus die. Why did he need to?”

Imagine that someone harms you, or sins against you in anyway. Imagine that this hurts you deeply. Naturally, this would sever your relationship with that individual. You have two choices. You can make them pay, you can get revenge. You can make them suffer for what they did. Or, you can choose to forgive them, but this process would not come without pain. Choosing to let something go and to not hold it against someone who deserves to be punished is by no means easy, and it would take a lot out of you to continually choose love and forgiveness. But either way, someone pays. There is no such thing as forgiveness without payment. Murderers are sentenced to prison to pay for their acts. If the judge were to show them grace and let them go free, then the surrounding community would pay. Those involved would feel hurt that the victim’s life was not properly defended, and others would be put on high alert at the thought of the criminal roaming free on the streets. Justice comes with a price, and someone must pay it.

In Exodus 12 there is an account of the events surrounding the first Passover season. The Egyptians were a very powerful kingdom in those days, and they held Moses and his people captive. But in Exodus 12 God told of a wrath that he would send down that would kill the firstborn of every household unless that household spread the blood of a sacrificed lamb on its doorposts. The Israelites were God’s chosen people, and so he had no intentions of killing their firstborn. And yet, God did not exclude Israel from this command. They were not exempt from the wages of sin.

This story is a beautiful picture of sacrifice for the sake of life, yet it is not the greatest one. Luke chapter 22 records a Passover celebration with Jesus and his disciples. But there are two distinct things that were different about this particular meal. It was customary for the leader of the meal to stand and explain it. Back then this message would be about the bread of affliction that represented the Israelite ancestors who suffered in the wilderness and were delivered to the thanksgiving of modern Jews. But when Jesus took the bread, he broke it and said “this is my body”. He was referring not to the past affliction of his chosen people, but to his pending affliction and suffering that would be at the expense of his own body. Not only that, but at this meal there was a predominant dish missing. There was unleavened bread, and there was wine, but in the scriptures there is no mentioning of a lamb. But a lamb was customary and an essential part of the meal! The disciples must have been confused…but catch the significance: There was no lamb on the table, because the Lamb was sitting at the table.

Jesus is the Lamb of God. He did not temporarily cover doorposts in order to protect from momentary affliction. Rather, he covered the sins of the souls of men. His sacrifice is permanent, it cannot be washed away, yet it washes away all that is unclean. When Abram went to sacrifice his son out of obedience, God shouted out immediately for him to stop, and provided another sacrifice. But when Jesus hung on the cross, no one said stop. When Abram said that God would provide a sacrifice in Genesis 22:8, isn’t it beautiful to note that this indeed proved to be true? God did not just provide any sacrifice. He told Abram to take his son off of the wood, knowing that later his son would be crucified on it.

Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Blessings.

Faith: the Gaze of a Soul upon a Saving God

“Faith is the least self-regarding of the virtues. It is by its nature scarcely conscious of its own existence. Like the eye which sees everything in front of it and never sees itself, faith is occupied with the object upon which it rests and pays no attention to itself at all. The man who has struggled to purify himself and had nothing but repeated failures will experience real relief when he stops tinkering with his soul and looks away to the perfect one. While he looks at Christ, the very things he has so long been trying to do will be getting done within him..For faith is the gaze of a soul upon a saving God.”

These words of A.W. Tozer are shared in his work The Pursuit of God. I can certainly testify to their truth.

I cannot even count the number of recent conversations that I have had about the bondage of sin. It makes us slaves and leaves us in despair. Of it, no one is immune. And yet, this does not give us any right to attitudes of spiritual fatalism. On the contrary, it lays the groundwork for the commands of God: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind” (Luke 10:27, Mark 12:30, Deuteronomy 6:5). No, this isn’t the command of a selfish God, this is a command from a God of love who knows that our love for him will keep us farther from sin. How good of him. Our gaze is to be on God, on the father, that we might not wallow in despair and self-guilt, but that we would get a glimpse of the one who is greater than our heart, and greater than all troubles.

Even Jesus did this while he was here on earth. Countless times he withdrew and prayed and spent time with his Father. In John 5:19-20 Jesus says “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise. For the father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel.”

Jesus had a kind of faith that looked always upon his Father’s face. Where are you looking?

Let us seek this God who promises not to withhold himself from us. His promises are true, and provide every means for us to have hope..but that’s a whole other story.

“May I run the race before me,

Strong and brave to face the foe.

Looking only unto Jesus

As I onward go.”

Friends, may this be your prayer, our prayer.

Blessings.

Prodigal Sons

Luke 15:11-32.

Sorry for the long post..bear with me!

The parable of the Prodigal Son is one of the most, if not the most beloved parable found in the Gospel accounts. The timeless story of a father who welcomes back his rebellious son appeals to our affections, and rightfully so. It is a story of grace, love, and celebration towards what was once lost, yet later found.

I am so thankful for a recent assignment that challenged me to dig deeper into this text (how’s that for spiritual growth eh? Just kidding..but really!)

During these times it was custom for fathers to will their possessions to their sons upon their death. Their first-born son was to receive 2/3 of the inheritance, leaving the remainder to be split up among the other sons. Men could give gifts of their property to others before their death, but it was understood that the owner would retain official rights of the property until their death. Therefore, it is very provocative that this son (especially the younger) would ask his father for his part of the inheritance while his father still lived. Land in those days was tied so closely to identity. Men were the land that they lived on. Their entire well being depended on the condition and extent of their land. So for this son to ask his father for his part of the inheritance was like asking for his father’s identity. He was asking his father to split up his life. It would be custom for the father to disown the son for making a request such as this. He desired and loved his father’s things, not his father.

Amazingly enough, instead of responding in anger and rebuking him, the father conceded and gave his son his portion of the inheritance.  Most of us are familiar with how it continues from there..The son squandered all that was given to him and ended up pleading with a keeper of swine to give him work. To a Jew in those days, pigs were unclean, (Lev. 11:7) and so the son’s desire to work with them reveals his desperate state in this situation. He devised a plan to return to his father and work for him, that he might earn some money to pay back part of his debt. And so he did.

This is where it gets crazy..

First of all, the father, upon seeing his son from far off, ran to greet his him. Men in these days were quite dignified and wore long, expensive robes. Surely some heads turned as this father forsook his prestige in an all-out sprint towards his son. He did not even give his son time to utter his plan to make up for his frivolous actions. Instead, he kissed him and embraced him. With all composure aside, this father rejoiced. He had robes thrown on him, a ring put on his finger, and a fatted calf (a possession of great wealth) slaughtered for a feast. He called for dancing and celebration among the entire village. His son whom he loved was home.  

The older son who heard all of the commotion from out in the fields asked a servant what was going on, and was astonished at what he heard. He could not believe that his father would slay the calf and throw a banquet for his little, rebellious brother. Just like the father approached his younger son to welcome him home, he went to his older son to invite him into the party. Verse 29- “’But he answered his father “Look, these many years I have served you, and I have never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends.”’ The Greek word this son used for “served” here is “douleou” which means “to serve as a slave”. How heartrending this must have been for the father. Twice his love for his sons was rejected. First it was rejected when his youngest son desired to depart from his father with his father’s things. Again it was rejected when his eldest son revealed that working for him was like slavery. This son did not work out of love for his father, he worked that one day he might gain an inheritance that his father’s death would be good for. Oh how this applies to us today..

It is not hard to imagine how some of us treat God like the younger son. We think we’re self-made, and our pride tells us that we can do things on our own, through our own strength. We use God for his gifts, go at life our own way, and then come to our senses once our actions lead us into despair. Yet in so many ways we are like the older son too. We think that God needs our good actions. We think they’re worth something and that they will justify us and cleanse us. We completely miss the relationship aspect of abiding under the Father in obedience sourced in love. If we do good for our own benefit what does it matter? How does that connect us to the Father in any way? Even good deeds done for self are indeed done in vain.

Isn’t it amazing to think that God treats us the way that this father treated his sons? This father went against all cultural norms and broke customs in order to show unfailing love to his sons who did nothing but sin against him and refuse the love he bestowed upon them. Even when they sinned, he gave them grace. Not only did he forgive them, but he clothed them in love and marked them as his. He never withheld love from them in order to teach them lessons. I rejoice that God, a Heavenly Father treats his children this way. We have been invited into a blessed relationship with him, a relationship that is not defined by our good works and efforts, yet by his grace and great sacrifice. May we not desire to be like the younger son, too absorbed in our pride to fall in love with God, and may we not be like the older son or the Pharisees, who were too consumed in the law and doing good to fall in love with God.

May we have the strength to comprehend, as Paul notes “what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge” (Ephesians 3:18-19). And may this love motivate us to respond, not with pride or feelings of self righteousness, but with humility and love through thanksgiving for the living God and the risen Christ.

Blessings.