"crummy" or convicted?

Here is an encouraging blog post from John Piper:

How I Approach God When Feeling Rotten

He suggests that vague feelings of crumminess or spiritual malaise don't help us to get right before God. Only coming face to face with our sin can move us towards repentance.

Here's a part of the blog post, but go read the whole thing!

So I began to call to mind the commands I frequently break. These are the ones that came to mind.

• Love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Not 95%, 100%. (Matthew 22:37)
• Love your neighbor as you love yourself. Be as eager for things to go well for him as you are for things to go well for you. (Matthew 22:39)
• Do all things without grumbling. No grumbling—inside or outside. (Philippians 2:14)
• Cast all your anxieties on him—so you are not being weighed down by it anymore. (1 Peter 5:7)
• Only say things that give grace to others—especially those closest to you. (Ephesians 4:29)
• Redeem the time. Don’t fritter or dawdle. (Ephesians 5:16)
• Set your mind on things that are above. Connect all your thoughts to Christ. (Colossians 3:2)
• Do not return evil for evil—like when your wife or daughter says something you don’t like. (1 Thessalonians 5:15)
• Rejoice always, and again I say rejoice. Always. If sorrowful, keep rejoicing. (Philippians 4:4; 2 Corinthians 6:10)
• Give thanks in all circumstances. All. All. All. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

So much for any pretensions to great holiness! I’m undone.

Thanksgiving Pot Luck

When: Sunday, November 9th at 1:00PM
Where: Thai and Danay's House

If there is a Thanksgiving dish that you love to make (or eat), bring it and we'll all enjoy it together. Leave a comment if you have any thoughts on what you might bring, we'll work out all the details and make sure we have a good meal.

I hope you can all come.

Unplanned Praise

Let praise be what you breathe and God will use you to bless, challenge, comfort, and grow the people around you (not to mention how good it is for you own soul when you verbalize your adoration of God).

I wanted to offer this simple encouragement to abound in praise because I got to experience the goodness of such unrestrained love to God this weekend.

Here's how:

Saturday night I was thinking about calling up an old friend. I realized I no longer had this friend's phone number, so I called another friend, Merea, who I was pretty sure had it and wouldn't mind sharing it with me. While she was flipping through the phone book in her phone, Merea sang "Come Thy fount of every blessing tune my heart to sing thy grace." My thoughts, which were on myself and leading toward discouragement, were directed toward God, toward his grace and led me to hope. My mind was immediately filled with images of God's gracious work in the life of a believer: a heart bound to God by His goodness, a heart sealed for heavenly courts where pure praise is unending, a mind fixed on and fascinated with God's redeeming love. I don't think Merea intended all that, I think she was simply enjoying God. I do, however, think God intended it; worship draws people to worship. As God captivates your heart and mind, don't restrain your lips from overflowing in praise to him, and see how God uses you to draw others to look to God the fountain of every blessing.

I hope this post encourages you to consider how the fruit of your lips will draw others to consider God's goodness (check out Hebrews 13:15). More than that I hope it encourages you to continued (or renewed) passion for knowing God. I don't think this kind of praise will happen without intimate knowledge of God. This kind of praise is what we breath out when we take in the beauty, goodness, majesty, splendor of God as seen in His word. Psalm 119:171 - "My lips will pour forth praise, for you teach me your statutes."

God give us hearts humbled by your grace, filled with your love, captivated by your goodness so that we could say with David, "O Lord, open my mouth, and my lips will declare your praise." (Psalm 51:15)

faith-affirmation and spiritual malnutrition

It is hard to eat right.

It is hard to choose chopping up vegetables over picking up fast food. It is hard choose the apple over the Oreo, or the quick coffee pick-me-up over a metabolism overhaul. It is hard, and it takes planning.

But now, thanks to Fresh and Easy . . .

Just kidding.

During the last three weeks of juggling school and work again, I've been reminded how intentional I need to be about making wise eating choices. If I don't plan ahead, I usually take the easiest route, which is usually the wrong choice.

Oddly enough, at the same time that I was losing the battle with my nutrition choices, the same thing was happening with my spiritual nutrition choices. It takes planning to get back into Bible memorization, in-depth Bible study, and trading mind-numbing Internet surfing for books that push me towards God.

This week Danay mentioned a Christian speaker whose talks she called "faith-affirming." That phrase reminded me that we need to be encouraged and fed in our faith, just as with anything else in our lives. We live in the middle of spiritual battlefields at work, at school, in our thoughts, in our media consumption, and in our homes. God's Word is our sustenance and our ammunition in these battles. We need to read it, chew on it, and let it shape our way of thinking. And we need the affirmation of speaking with others who will repeat not man's wisdom but God's own words back to us.

Without intentionality in moving forward, we unintentionally slide back.

Have you noticed how changes in your spiritual "diet" affect your spiritual health?

What steps are you taking to avoid spiritual malnutrition?

since we are surrounded . . . let us run with endurance

On Monday afternoon I watched Amazing Grace for the second time.

For those who haven't seen it yet [You should. And if the only time you've seen it is at the C&C movie night last November, it deserves another watching.], it tells part of the story of William Wilberforce's fight to abolish the slave trade in Great Britain.

What hit me again and again throughout the movie is that we see William Wilberforce through the lens of his eventual victory. During much of his struggle, though, William Wilberforce saw himself as someone who was given a particular task, and who was failing miserably. His seemingly radical positions invited scorn from older, more-respected men in his profession, and for many years it seemed like there wasn't a way to change the status quo. His victory in the end was only the result of doing the right thing small choice by small choice, day in and day out.

Thinking about Wilberforce reminded me of 4th century church leader Athanasius, whom we remember for his victory over the Arian heresy. Athanasius had the unpleasant task of fighting other leaders of the early Christian church to defend the truths of the incarnation, the complete deity of Christ, and the Trinity. It sounds impressive to repeat "Athanasius contra mundum" (Athanasius against the world), but only because his side prevailed. Being banished, ostracized, and downright hated -- being, literally, "against the world" (even against people you respect and who used to respect you) -- would be an unpleasant day-to-day reality. His victory in the end was only the result of doing the right thing small choice by small choice, day in and day out.

What makes these men so great?

I'm sure that lots of characteristics could be listed, but two that stand out to me are faith and endurance.

Faith is believing that God is who He says He is, and that what He says is right is right and what He says is wrong is wrong. Both Athanasius and William Wilberforce staked their alls on truths from God's Word. For Athanasius, it was the truth that Jesus Christ was fully God, God come to earth as man. For William Wilberforce, it was the truth that man is created in God's image and a human soul cannot be human property. If what God said about those things was true, then popularity, comfort, and even good health were a small sacrifice in the battle for their defense. No fear of men or desire for their approval could detract from a true belief that God is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

Endurance for these men was the strength to keep going toward the goal even when all odds were against them. It was the strength to choose God's best over the advice of well-meaning friends. It was the strength to wake up every morning, forget the seeming losses of the day before, and keep on going. It was the strength to stand up in front of a group of well-respected, well-supported, well-educated men -- many older and more experienced -- and once again make the argument that had drawn their anger and scorn time and time again.

Athanasius and Wilberforce are truly great men, but they are not members of some unattainable group of heroes.

Even in our C&C group, there are some big dreams. If your dream is born from an actual calling of God (John Piper calls this a "holy ambition"), it is not unattainable. That's not to say that there won't be some slip-ups and slumps between now and the finish line. And, even if you make a lot of progress towards that dream, it may be that your particular race is only one leg of a relay that someone else will finish later.

What are your goals, the needs that call out to you when you look at the world? What does God's Word tell us about those things? What kind of sacrifice is too big in fighting for them? Are we willing to do the right thing small choice by small choice, day in and day out, day after day after day after day after day?

Whose life story do you look to for encouragement in fulfilling your calling?

BBQ at Thai and Danay's

We'll have a pre-labor day bbq at Thai and Danay's house this Sunday night after the evening service. There will be food, games, swimming, . . . and food.
I hope to see you all there. If you have any questions, call Nate, email Nate (nate@mcbchurch.org), or leave a comment.

oh yeah, send me a note if you plan to be there so we can get the right amount of food.

Hope everyone is doing well. See you tomorrow night.

Love That Leads to Love

I enjoy hiking. I especially enjoy hiking when the trail follows a stream. There is a certain level of comfort in knowing that the water is consistently near. You'll not thirst. You'll not get too hot. You'll not lose your way. You may even make it to the source.

I found notes from a lesson I taught the youth earlier this year. The first line reads "God's love - the fountain of our love for Him." The basic idea is that God has communicated his love generally or widely through his care for and patience with man (Psalm 145:8-9; Luke 6:32-36; Acts 14:16-17), and specifically through His Son (Romans 5:8). We experience the reality of His love through the Spirit working in us (Romans 5:5, Ephesians 3:14-20). Having experienced the love of the Father in Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit, we ought to be people filled with love. 1 John 4:7-11 says:

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be a propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

I owe many of the thoughts in my notes to Packer's chapter on the love of God in Knowing God. At the end of that chapter Packer asks a series of questions the last of which is the inspiration for this point. I'll close this post with Packer's words and ask you to consider how the love of God working through you serves as a stream refreshing, restoring, and leading others to rejoice and glory in the source of your love for others - God's perfect love.

John wrote that "God is love" in order to make an ethical point, "Since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another (1 Jn 4:11). Could an observer learn from the quality and degree of love that I show to others - my wife? my husband? my family? my neighbors? people at church? people at work? - anything about the greatness of God's love to me?
Meditate on these things. Examine yourself.

Gospel Connections

Reading Justin Taylor's blog, I was led to an article posted on sub-text. Joe Thorn gives a good response to the question, "How can I take a natural conversation about common things and connect it to the gospel without it coming off like an abrupt topic change?"

He gives a good call to first know the Gospel well, then to look for natural ways to lead conversations to the cross of Christ. He has some good examples of how this might be done. Check it out here: Gospel Connections. Hope it's helpful.

let us consider

Hey all,

I know that there are people checking this blog, waiting for something new, and not finding anything. So, here's something new . . .

And it's interactive . . .

And exciting . . .

And YOU need to participate (yes, Y-O-U).

In the comments section, would everybody post one area where you have seen the blessing of God in your life so far this summer? It doesn't have to be long, but I know that it will be an encouragement to all of us to see testimony of the work that He is accomplishing among us.

Here's one passage that's driving my thoughts here:

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Hebrews 10:19-25

Looking forward to your replies . . .

more on giving

As a complement to our Sunday School study on giving, you may want to check out the book of Malachi.

In Malachi, God talks with His people about their unwillingness to give properly -- in the giving of worship and the surrendering of their lives, as well as in their financial giving.

Ever since I memorized Malachi 3:10 in Bible Drill, I'd known that this book talked about tithing. But reading it now I see the larger context, and that tithing is only one part of the challenge of a loving God to a disobedient and stubborn people.

It's a short book, and will help you to think through the bigger picture of why and how we give to God. Check it out!

Questions to Consider

On Sunday we'll be talking about the Christian as a giver. Here are some questions to consider in preparation for our group discussion. I'm looking forward to seeing you all there. Keep praying that God would use the truth of His word to conform us to the image of His Son and use us to shine as lights in the world (James 1:22-25; Philippians 2:14-16).

Why do we give to the church? Spiritually and practically?
What should our attitude about giving be and why?
What happens when we give begrudgingly?
What is in our heart when we don't give? What does that say about us?
Is it sin not to give?

See ya tomorrow night, and then on Sunday.

ebbs and winters

If you have ever walked (stumbled? crawled?) through a season of doubt, you will be encouraged by this sermon from Charles Spurgeon.

And if you haven't, bookmark the page, because it's almost certain you will.

Here's a short piece of the sermon (make sure you check out the link, though, to get to the part about the "divine medicine chest"; the quote here ends on a downer):

Am I now addressing one who is ready to exclaim, "I will give up all hope; I am sure I cannot be a child of God because I am so cast down"?

O thou simple soul, the most advanced saints suffer in just the same way!

Men who have been for forty, fifty, sixty years, followers of Christ, complain that, sometimes, it is a question with them whether they have ever known Christ at all. There are seasons with them when they would, if they could, creep into any mouse-hole, and hide their heads, rather than be seen among God’s people, because they fear that they are hypocrites, and that the root of the matter is not in them.

Why, I tell you, young Christians, that the most experienced believers, the men who have great doctrinal knowledge and much experimental wisdom, the men who have lived very near to God, and have had the most rapt and intimate fellowship with their Lord and Savior, are the very men who have their ebbs, and their winters, and their times when it is a moot point with them whether they do really love the Lord or no. Even the apostle Paul was not exempt from doubts and fears, for he wrote, "We were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears;" and, on another occasion, "I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway."

The man after God’s own heart, even David, a man of experience so deep that none of us can fully decipher, much less rival it, — a man of love so fervent that few of us can do more than aspire to catch the hallowed flame, — nevertheless, had to cry aloud, and that very often, "O my God, my soul is cast down within me!"

a model for us

This morning I was reading Hebrews 11, and had to stop and re-read verse 8 a few times:

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.

There are times when we will be called by God to follow Him in faith, not knowing where we are going. Abraham's experience, and the way that he is placed as a model for us, make it seem like these "called out . . . not knowing where he was going" moments are the rule and not the exception in the life of faith.

But, even though Abraham did not know where he was going, he did know what he was looking forward to:

By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. (vv. 9-10)

There will be times in life where we are called to follow God, not knowing where we are going. Maybe more of these times than times where we do know where we are going.

But do we know what we're looking forward to? And Who we're going toward?

more on Myanmar

I just received an e-mail from Sovereign Grace Ministries about a Burma Disaster Relief Fund their ministry has started to collect money for cyclone relief:

Burma Disaster Relief Fund

And here is a note from the e-mail:

Most importantly, please join us in praying that amid the destruction caused by Cyclone Nargis, victims of the storm would receive swift and effective help, and that many in Burma would hear and respond to the gospel.

I also found out yesterday about a Christian relief organization in China that is in one of the provinces most affected by yesterday's earthquake. They too are collecting money for disaster relief:

Caring for China

On Sunday I was reading in Ezekiel 34 and found a new passage about God's love for all peoples. I saw in this rebuke to the shepherds of Israel a challenge to the way that we use the wealth with which we've been blessed.

Here's a selection from the passage, but you really need to read the whole thing.

The word of the LORD came to me: "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord GOD: Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them. So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts. My sheep were scattered; they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them.

Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: As I live, declares the Lord GOD, surely because my sheep have become a prey, and my sheep have become food for all the wild beasts, since there was no shepherd, and because my shepherds have not searched for my sheep, but the shepherds have fed themselves, and have not fed my sheep, therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: Thus says the Lord GOD, Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my sheep at their hand and put a stop to their feeding the sheep. No longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them.

Pray for Myanmar

The headline 4,000 dead in Myanmar caught my eye this morning. I followed a link to an article from the New York Times reporting on the devastation caused by a Cyclone that hit the country over the weekend.

Pray for the people in Myanmar. Pray that help from outside countries would be mobilized and welcomed. Pray that in the midst of such pain and suffering, God would use his church to bless, to help, to restore and to point people to lasting hope in Jesus Christ.

For more on Myanmar:
BBC Country Profile
Joshua Project

Think About the Cross

One of the books I am working through right now is called In My Place Condemned He Stood (if you're looking for something to read, this would be a good choice). Last night I was reading and found a few quotes from Luther very helpful. Helpful because they served to focus my thoughts on the wonder of what Jesus accomplished on the cross. I've found that knowing and meditating on the cross of Christ is a very real help for life and a source of unparalleled joy and happiness. In the midst of dry worship, failing time in God's word, doubts of God's love, fear of falling away, bitterness, envy, longing for things I shouldn't want, selfishness, lack of love for others, worry, hopelessness, and desperation, knowing well and meditating on the cross of Christ is an effective remedy.

Commenting on Galatians 3:13 (a good verse to know) Luther says:

All the prophets did foresee in spirit, that Christ should become the greatest transgressor, murderer, adulterer, thief, rebel, blasphemer, etc., that ever was . . . for he being made a sacrifice, for the sins of the whole world, is not now an innocent person and without sins. . . . Our most merciful Father . . . sent his only Son into the world and laid upon him the sins of all men, saying: Be thou Peter that denier; Paul the persecutor, blasphemer and cruel oppressor; David that adulterer; that sinner which did eat the apple in Paradise; that thief which hanged upon the cross; and, briefly, be thou the person which hath committed the sins of all men; see therefore that thou pay and satisfy them. Here now cometh the law and saith: I find him a sinner . . . therefore let him die upon the cross.

A few passages we should all know well:
Romans 3:21-31; 2 Corinthians 5:11-21; Galatians 2:17-21

May hearts be filled with wonder at such grace.

complainers anonymous

I like to complain.

I also like to oversleep, overeat, gossip, slander, lie (if it makes me look better), think I'm better than others, stew in my anger, covet, be jealous, bicker, and withhold forgiveness.

But for some reason complaining just doesn't seem as bad -- especially when we call it "venting," or, worse still, wrap it in a holy-sounding cloak of "sharing burdens" or "fellowship."

Is complaining an excusable sin, if it's a sin at all?

That's a dangerous question.

But I think I know where to look for answers. Check out these references:

NT keyword search for "complain"

NT keyword search for "grumble"

And then examine the history of a complaining people in the Old Testament:

OT keyword search for "complain"

Somehow all of that seems to be missing the rubber stamp for my hobby of holy Christian "venting."

If there's a place for Christian complaining, it may be in prayer -- the same way that David and Job poured out their complaints (but note the way that they were put in their place by God's answers; also note the warning from Ecclesiastes 5:2).

Here's a brief exposition of the place of complaining in prayer, from a sermon by Pastor John Piper:

you can complain to the Lord. “With my voice I cry out to the Lord. . . . I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him” (Psalm 142:1-2). Now here, again, language frustrates. So are you saying, Pastor John, that it is good to have a complaining heart toward God? No. Philippians 2:14: “Do all things without grumbling or questioning.” It’s not good to have a complaining heart. The heart should trust God in all his sweet and bitter providences. So why then do you say we should complain to the Lord? Because sometimes our hearts do complain about the circumstances God has given us, even though our hearts shouldn’t do this, and it is better to consciously direct it toward the Lord than to think he doesn’t see it. Acting like you are not complaining is hypocrisy and will make you a very phony, shallow, plastic person in the end.

In the words from William Cowper that Nate pointed out last week:

Have you no words! Ah, think again,
Words flow apace when you complain;
And fill your fellow-creature's ear
With the sad tale of all your care.

Were half the breath thus vainly spent,
To heav'n in supplication sent;
Your cheerful song would oft'ner be,
"Hear what the LORD has done for me!"

May we strive together to not be a complaining, grumbling people, but a people characterized by a grateful joy and hope that take the world by surprise.

A Poem From William Cowper

Here's a great word from William Cowper. It's short, clear, and helpful. I pray we'll hear his call to prayer.

come see Expelled on Saturday!

This Saturday afternoon, all interested parties are invited to come see the movie Expelled with Thai and Danay (and Ben Stein).

The film deals with the suppression of intelligent design theory in academia. You can watch the trailer (actually, several trailers) here.

This is an opportunity to bring friends, if you know someone who may be interested in seeing the movie.

Here are the details . . .

DAY: this Saturday (i.e., the day after tomorrow), 4/19
PLACE: Westminster 10 (in the shopping center at the corner of Westminster and Goldenwest)
TIME: meet @ the theater by 4:15; the film starts at 4:30
WHAT ELSE: we will be going to out for food (and discussion, of course) afterward
QUESTIONS? post any questions here in the comments, and someone who knows the answer will answer

See you there!

tune my heart

Just now, as I was lamenting not having any ideas for today's blog, my eye caught hold of a choral anthem sitting on my desk, an arrangement of "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing."

It is a hymn I love and have sung many times, but as I started to review the words once again, something jumped out at me in a new way:

tune my heart to sing Thy praise

Tune my heart.

If you have ever tuned an instrument (or watched someone tune an instrument), it is a process that can take a while. Sometimes a new instrument, or an instrument with a new part, like new strings or a new reed, needs to be warmed up and adjusted several times before it is in tune.

And, unless the gift of perfect pitch has left you endowed with an internal tuner, an instrument must be tuned to match some outside, absolute pitch. You can't tune an instrument without something to tune it to.

Also, when you have that outside source of absolute pitch, you can tune a whole bunch of different instruments to match it and play all in tune with each other. If you are like me, and sometimes enjoy listening to an orchestra tune more than listening to an orchestra actually play, you may have wondered happily at the way that so many different voices can tune to the same pitch. An oboe's "A" comes out in a very different voice from a cello's "A," but they're still both playing "A."

Moreover, depending on outside influences, like humidity or extreme cold or heat, or -- for something complicated like a piano -- the simple act of being moved, an instrument is more or less likely to get out of tune.

This isn't a simple "tune" like "Tune in next week!" This is a careful, measured, purposeful tune that implies yielding to the absolute pitch of the tuner.

All this thought about tune, tuners, and tuning made me think about our Thursday night lessons in James 1:

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

* * *
When I sing "tune my heart to sing Thy praise" (if I mean what I am singing), I am making an offer of surrender, surrendering those things that bring me out-of-tune and asking God to bring my heart back to match His pitch.

That may be a very painful surrender.

And it may be that, if even if I am "in tune" tonight, I may be in just as much need of being "tuned" again tomorrow morning. Which, I think, is part of what it means to live not by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God. His Word is what gives us the absolute pitch -- the point of truth where each of us, with our different voices, can unite together. And the starting point for any hope we have of harmony.

Are we ready to be tuned?