Happy New Year! I hope this year has been a year of spiritual growth for you. I hope as you look back at the year that was you can see God's guiding hand. I hope that your 2020 is a blessed year for you.
Below are ten of the top posts from this blog and mine from Remembering Grace this year.
I never wanted a step-dad, but I'm forever grateful that I have you, Larry Grekoff.
There are many reasons why I admire and appreciate you but I want to tell you a few. It's hard to whittle it down to a few, but I will try. Also, I'm writing this down so that I can compose my thoughts. My life's work is spoken words but when I saw you last I couldn't think of how to best say all this.
First, I will be forever grateful for the way you and Mom rescued your marriage. In the first few years of your marriage you both repeated bad habits. It was not good. Neither of you can hold all the blame but I know there are things you both know should have gone better. But you stepped up as a man with my mom to rescue it. Mom told me about how you said that you both needed to make God your priority in your marriage. I watched as you treated her better and better. You treated her as well as she deserved at times and, more importantly, better than she deserved at others. Thank you for showing us all what it takes. Thank you for being a gentle warrior. Thank you for growing as a man in front of us.
Thank you for always honoring my dad. I have never in the twenty years of knowing you heard you say anything negative about my dad. You, in fact, have uttered more glowing words about your wife's ex-husband than perhaps any man in history. I don't think you'll ever know what that means to Maggie, Patrick and I. You are a man of honor.
Thank you for teaching me how to organize vacations around favorite places to eat and baseball games in town. I hope my kids enjoy those Summer days as much we all did.
Most of all, thank you for loving us. I didn't ever want a step-dad, but I thank God for giving you to us. My mom got a wonderful husband, my kids got a lovable Papa and I got another great man to emulate and be totally loved by.
On your birthday you told me two things and I promise not to forget them. You told me to make my family a priority. I will. I will raise your grandchildren right. I will love them. You also told me to make a Kingdom difference in the lives of others. I will do my best to leave a mark for the Kingdom and to touch the lives of others.
These two things are likely the last two things you'll ever say to me. I will treasure them because you deserve that. And I will treasure them because these last words show your true heart. Larry, we all will never forget that you love your family and we'll never forget that you tried to make a Kingdom difference in the lives of others.
Your last words also were a loud sermon to our 15 year-old foster son. He heard them loud and clear. As we drove away he wanted to talk about what you had to say. I shared with him about how all the stuff in the world can't measure up to those two things you wanted to share. I shared with him that those are the things that real men value. In your weakness He was strong and your words won't return void to me or to that young man.
One of the most beloved Christmas hymns is "Joy to the World" by Isaac Watts. This hymn is all over the place during this month. You will hear it in your church, in the mall, on the radio and in your kitchen. This song is one that should be sung a lot this time of year.
Chris Tomlin, as he often does, added a contemporary chorus to this song and it is great. However, I lament that this song skips my favorite verse. If you are a worship pastor I would encourage you to sing the Tomlin version without skipping verse three because all the verses are so rich and do such a good job of explaining what happened beginning at Christmas.
"No more let sins and sorrows grow
nor thorns infest the ground
He comes to make His blessings flow
far as the curse is found, far as the curse is found,
far as, far as the curse if found."
This verse highlights something we evangelicals miss during our Advent and much of the year. The evangelical movement has done a wonderful job of highlighting the personal nature of salvation. Christ was crucified for my sin and He rose to bring me eternal life and only I can respond to that and no one can do it for me. This is the thing we evangelicals get very right.
What we too often miss is the Cosmic Gospel. Jesus died for me but not only for me. It's often said that if I were the only sinner that Christ would die for me. I'm not so sure about that and I guess I'll never need to know if that statement is true. But I do know that Christ died for so much more than for my soul. Christ died to redeem all of creation. He died to make all things new. He rose to renew all in creation that was spoiled by The Fall.
"For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the One who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God." Romans 8:19-21
The creation is "groaning as in the pains of childbirth" (Romans 8:22) waiting for renewal.
"No more let sins and sorrows grow
nor thorns infest the ground."
"Then I saw a New Heaven and a New Earth for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away... He who was seated on the throne said, 'I am making all things new!" Revelation 21:1 & 5a
Christmas is about Jesus coming to earth to redeem it and His people in it.
"A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse, from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD and He will delight in the fear of the LORD.
He will not judge by what He sees with His eyes, or decide by what He hears with His ears; but with righteousness He will judge the needy, with justice He will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth; with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be His belt and faithfulness the sash around His waist.
The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together, and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand in the viper's nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.
In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to Him, and His place of rest will be glorious." Isaiah 11:1-10
"He rules the world with truth and grace
and makes the nations prove
the glories of His righteousness
and wonders of His love, and wonders of His love,
and wonders, wonders of His love."
Joy to the Lord! The Savior reigns and one day soon we and all of creation will experience more fully His rule and reign. Advent by eagerly waiting for that today.
Merry Christmas!We
hope this e-Christmas Card finds you well.
2019 began in a strange way.Soon after a family Christmas weekend in Little Amana we learned that
Matt’s step-dad had cancer.Larry was
diagnosed with glioblastoma brain cancer.God has been good to all of us even in this scary time.
On Groundhog’s Day we got a special surprise.Our little groundhog Anna decided to make her
grand entrance.She came very
quickly.Christine labored at the
hospital for less than a half hour, which was a massive change from when Joshua
was born.With Anna we became a family
of five and had to adjust to that.
Larry wanted everyone to go to Arizona with him in the spring.So, we all did.18 of us from Iowa, Minnesota, Louisiana and
Australia all went.We spent a couple
days with family in Phoenix and then the bulk of the time in one big house in
Flagstaff.We explored Sedona and
Flagstaff, saw the Grand Canyon, and spent hours enjoying each other.It was an incredibly memorable trip.
Not long after we got back we had to say goodbye to our
first foster daughter “L” after six months in our home.It was a little sad, but mostly very
happy.She and her mom are doing well
and we even got to celebrate Joshua’s second birthday with them in May and her
second birthday with her mom’s family in August.
We spent the summer living as a family of four until August
26th.That evening we got a
call asking if we were able to take a baby boy just 6 weeks younger than Anna
and a 14 year-old boy.We said ‘yes’ and
they arrived at our house the next day.The boys are still with us now and we’ve been learning how to live as a
family of six.
This year has been eventful.There have been very high highs and very scary lows, but through it all
God has been with us.And that it was
Christmas is all about: God with us.Jesus became our Emmanuel more than 2,000 years ago and we eagerly await
His return.
“For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulders, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6
The Christmas bells clanged brightly and cheerily on that cold December day, but there was nothing about that month of long nights that seemed bright or cheery to him. No, December, 1863 was but another dreadful month.
In the course of two years Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's life had spun dramatically out of his control.
In 1861 his beloved wife Frances was sealing envelopes with hot wax. It was this simple chore that sprang the seemingly downward spiral into motion. While heating the wax a single flame touched her clothes. Before she could help herself her garment was ablaze. Henry sprinted to her and attempted to smother the fire. He did, but it was too little too late. Frances was burned so badly that she died the next day. Henry was also badly burned and was unable to even attend his own wife's funeral.
His appearance mirrored his heart as he wasted away. He grew a beard to cover the melted skin that disfigured his once proud face. His heart and mind sank into a deep, dark depression. On Christmas day 1862 he wrote: "'A merry Christmas' say the children, but that is no more for me."
Henry was a hardline abolitionist and raised his boy to believe that slavery was unjust. Unfortunately for Henry his son Charley listened. In 1863 Charley, against his father's wishes and driven by deep love of country and of justice, enrolled in the military. Henry had to learn of this through a letter. Charley rose to the rank of lieutenant.
In November of 1863 Charley Longfellow and his unit were engaged in the Battle of New Hope Church in Virginia. During the battle a bullet went through Charley's back and into his shoulder while nicking his spine along the way. Charley was on the verge of joining the 620,000 dead in the Civil War.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, a man already deeply depressed and still grieving the loss of his wife, rode out to Washington D.C. to pick up his son that very likely would die. On December 8, 1863 the pair returned to Henry's home in Cambridge, Massachusetts to attempt to nurse his injured son back to health.
December 1863 was a dark one for Henry Longfellow.
Those bells clanged merrily in the December air of Cambridge. How could merry sounds ring in the air when cannons rang hellishly?
In the book of Luke the angel promised peace on earth at the announcement of Christ's birth. Where was the peace?
It was as the heavenly sound of the bells clashed with the hell around him that words filled his mind. Longfellow went to work writing the words that these bells inspired. In December, 1863 he wrote and published "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day."
Let me share a couple of the verses from his poem.
I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, goodwill to men!
And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said;
"For hate is strong,
and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, goodwill to men!"
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, goodwill to men."
On that December day with chaos swirling all about him, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow found peace. His sadness didn't disappear. For years he wrote about his deep sadness about his wife's death, but that day he found peace.
Longfellow trusted in a God who brings a here but not fully yet peace. He trusted in the Sovereign God that keeps all of His promises perfectly. He believed that peace was inaugurated on that first Christmas day.
As we Advent we must never believe that the fullness of the promise is being experienced right here and now. Wars continue, cancer grows, marriages crumble, wrong seems to win, pain and sorrow engulf us. No, the promise is not fully here yet. But in Advent we remind ourselves that the promise has be initiated.
True Advent is longing for the future fullness while striving to experience the foretastes we're graced with today.
"But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.' Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests." Luke 2:10-14
This Advent I want to write through songs. The Christmas season is here and that means songs surround us. So many of the songs are mindless and can stay that way for all I care. I don't need you pondering the deep meaning of "Frosty the Snowman". But for many stations around the world this is the time of the year when explicitly Gospel focused lyrics are on the air. So, I want to look at a few of these songs and I hope this enriches your December.
I grew up Baptist and I continue to be a Baptist and I'm glad of that. My denomination is one that has helped me grow in my faith and has reached millions with the Gospel. My wife grew up Lutheran and her parents are Lutheran. This Sunday we went to First Lutheran in Onalaska, Wisconsin as they celebrated the first weekend of Advent. Baptist friends, we have much to learn from our Lutheran brothers and sisters about Advent. In the Baptist tradition we may light wreaths and do Advent readings but we rush to Christmas songs, however in the Lutheran tradition they linger in true Advent before singing of Christmas itself.
During the Advent worship Sunday there was a rich time of confession. There was a purposeful longing for the consummation of all things. Pastor Jason Stanton preached about expectant, mindful, watchful waiting as seen in Matthew 24:36-51. The whole of the service was centered around the passage and the hymn "O Come, O Come, Emanuel".
"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come... So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him." Matthew 24:42 & 44
Be awake! Keep watch!
For what? Didn't Jesus already come?
Advent is a season where we look not only to the past and the first coming of Christ but we look forward with longing to the second coming of Christ. As Pastor Jason said, The End has begun but it is a here but not yet reality. The End has begun and the Gospel is here but we wait with eyes wide open for its consummation.
This world is broken: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel! Pain and sorrow persist: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel! Death is less true than life but is still at our door: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel! Babies still suffer and families flounder: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel! Hope is still mostly unseen: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel!
Don't skip Advent this year. Christmas is full of joy but we must also realize that it is a joy that is yet to be as full as it will be. So we Advent.
The last words of the Bible:
"He who testifies to these things says, 'Yes, I am coming soon.' Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen." Revelation 22:20-21
Read the lyrics to O Come, O Come, Emmanuel below and let them sink into your mind and soul as you listen to the song anew today.
VERSE 1O come, O come, Emmanuel And ransom captive Israel That mourns in lonely exile here Until the Son of God appear
VERSE 2O come, Thou, Dayspring from on high And cause Thy light on us to rise Disperse the gloomy clouds of night And death’s dark shadow put to flight Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel
VERSE 3O come, O come, true prophet of the Lord And turn the key to heaven’s door Be Thou our comforter and guide And lead us to the Father’s side Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall by His word our darkness dispel
VERSE 4O come, our great High Priest, and intercede Thy sacrifice, our only plea The judgment we no longer fear Thy precious blood has brought us near Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Has banished every fear of hell
VERSE 5O Come, Thou King of nations bring An end to all our suffering Bid every pain and sorrow cease And reign now as our Prince of Peace Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come again with us to dwell
I'm not sure why, but Pastor Jonathan decided to preach a sermon just for me today. There was music, praying, communion and a bunch of other people, too, but for some reason he decided to have a sermon for one guy. Interesting move.
This week had been a stressful week and I was beyond frustrated with a person. I have never felt so much like I was singled out for doing a good thing than I was this week. My attempts at honesty and mercy had been responded to with hatred and anger.
I was pushed to consider giving up on them. Then this passage was preached on:
"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in Heaven. He causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Matthew 5:38-48
I had been wronged for doing right. I had been, in a small way, persecuted. I was doing my best and was treated as though I was doing evil. I was sick of this treatment.
As Pastor Jonathan preached directly at me, the Holy Spirit talked as well. I didn't hear an audible voice outside of the voice of Jonathan, but this conversation happened:
"Why did you make me think of her?"
No response from Him.
"I tried. I've done what I can. I won't get revenge. I don't need an eye for an eye, but I don't have to interact with her again."
"I didn't say, 'Repay evil with indifference.' I said, 'Repay evil with blessing.'"
"I've bent over backwards for her and I get all this in response. Jesus, what more could I do?!
"Have you died for her yet?"
Wham!
It hit me in the gut. I was arguing about how I was going to respond to someone who had spoken and written unkind words to me and I was arguing with the God that died for me. I was leading music in church and I was about to lead a song with the line, "Once your enemy, now I'm seated at the table." And here I was being relatively petty.
There is another gear I can hit.
I haven't loved to the point of shedding blood. I haven't prayed a prayer of forgiveness for the people murdering me yet. I haven't been crushed for the sins I didn't commit.
There are a ton of gears I can still hit.
"We love because He first loved us." 1 John 4:19
"But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8
I'm not out of the woods in this. This situation is still raw and it's going to be hard to return good for evil. But I can do this if my mind is set on what Christ did for me. I can do it if I let His perfect love flow through me.
Our call is to love perfectly as He loves perfectly. I will fail at this. I will fail miserably without help. Pray that I love and live in a manner worthy of my calling today.
In the second half of the book of Genesis we are presented with the storylines of two opposite characters: Jacob and Joseph.
Jacob lives up to his name; he is a heal-grabbing trickster. Jacob schemes against his brother, his father, his uncle and has distrust for God throughout. Yet Jacob is blessed.
Joseph has no character flaws. The only thing you could even level against him was possibly being foolish in telling his brothers about his dreams, but even that I don't think is a bad thing because he's just telling his family a prophetic dream he had. Joseph is upright and driven by his desire to be righteous in every moment of his story. Yet Joseph's life is a cavalcade of unfortunate events.
Jacob's story makes us ask: Why do good things happen to bad people? The answer is: God is ALWAYS faithful to His people, even His SINFUL people.
Those God chooses to be blessed will be blessed even if they are rotten to the core. God will bless those He chooses to bless and His blessing isn't contingent upon their character but His. Jacob's story is pure Gospel for those of us who live like Jacob more than like Joseph on our average day.
Joseph's story makes us ask: Why do bad things happen to good people? The answer is: God is ALWAYS doing good in ALL circumstances, even SINFUL circumstances.
Joseph is by most any measure a good person. Yet his life is full of tragedy. He was beloved by his father and despised by his brothers. He was thrown in a pit. He was sold into slavery. He became an exemplary slave yet was falsely accused of raping a woman he refused to cheat with and then was thrown into prison. He became an exemplary prisoner yet he stayed in chains. He helped a prisoner that was freed yet was forgotten and left in chains for two more years.
Joseph had to deal with some serious crap.
If you know his story you know that he eventually got exalted in Egypt and helped saves the entire region from a devastating famine. He even saves his family (read that as, he saved the entire nation of Israel's future).
In talking to his brothers who put him on this journey of suffering Joseph said these words:
"You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." Genesis 50:20
They meant it for evil against Joseph; God meant it for good for many people. Joseph's pain was part of God's perfect plan of salvation. If Joseph hadn't been sold by his brothers he would have starved with them in a famine and the nation of Israel's story would have ended while Israel (Jacob) himself was still around.
Isn't this just like Jesus? The beloved son was despised and rejected. The beloved son went to a land not His own to be treated as a slave. The beloved son experienced pain He did not deserve. It was intended to harm Him, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
So, if you're living a life like Jacob rejoice for God doesn't give up on His people. If you're in a season of a Joseph life rejoice for God means it all for good.
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28
Hold on tight. It may hurt right now and you might not seeing it, but God is doing His perfect plan perfectly. Do you think Joseph liked his suffering? I don't, but we know in reading his story that God was in every step. God is in every step of your plan, too. He loves you. He wants the best for you. And He is always doing good in all circumstances, even sinful circumstances, even your circumstances today.
Our Fighter Verses program at church helps us memorize Scripture. Last week's verse was:
"For the wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23
The nice thing about the Fighter Verses (especially when I actually get them memorized) is that I get to chew on a verse for an entire week. This is called meditation. I got to flip this verse around and around in my mind last week.
For the wages of sin is death.
Sally from Peanuts famously said in A Charlie Brown Christmas , "All I want is what I have coming to me." Well, what we have coming to us is death. You don't want what you have coming to you. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23. We all have death coming to us. Like an employee who has worked for a week's wages the boss will give what the employee's wage has earned. Our efforts earn us death!
But the free gift of God is eternal life
Thank goodness that Sally's sentiment isn't God's. We earn death but God gives us eternal life. All our striving gets us death. The source of eternal life isn't work. The source of everlasting life isn't work, but a free gift from God. We couldn't earn eternal life and we don't have to earn eternal life. Eternal life, the most precious thing a mortal can get, is a free gift. This is the Gospel. This is the good news. We can't earn and we don't have to earn.
In Christ Jesus
Eternal life is not just a length of life. It is a kind of life, too. Eternal life is found in the person of Christ Jesus. Getting eternal life is getting a person. It's much like getting FaceTime, thousands of apps, the ability to call, texting and the like is found in an iPhone. The length of time we live and the quality of life we have is found in Jesus Himself. When you get Him you get all the amazing things that come with Him.
Our Lord
Here's the sticking point to this verse. You can't have Christ Jesus and all that comes with Him if you don't have Christ Jesus as Lord. If you think you can have Jesus and all His benefits without having Jesus as the captain of your life then you are going to be sorely disappointed. Any version of Christianity that preaches salvation without obedience is a lie. Also, any version of Christianity that preaches eternal life as the wages of good works is a lie. We can't, won't and don't earn eternal life; but in the same breath we can't open a free gift and then redefine the gift we opened. Eternal life is found in Christ Jesus our Lord. The Apostle Paul spells that out in case we think we can get this free gift and then live however we want.
The Gospel is NEVER about earning. The Gospel is ALWAYS about getting a free gift that could not be earned. But the Gospel is NEVER about doing what every is right in your own eyes. The Gospel is ALWAYS about putting an "Under New Management" sign on your life. The Gospel is always about gaining Christ Jesus who always has those that have Him.
"For the wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23
In August I told you about how we have begun doing memory verses with our two-year-old son Joshua. In a post titled Toilet Training and Memory Verses I relayed the story of how our church's VBS taught us that he wasn't too young to memorize verses. At just two-years-two months-old our little Joshua had memorized a verse.
It was after that experience that we decided to do a memory verse for the month. So far, he's memorized three verses and hasn't forgotten the prior verses each month. Doing this takes repetition and a mild amount of creativity, but it doesn't take an extraordinarily great teacher to do it. We try to have some sort of arm movements involved to get him excited about the verse if he's not into it at the start, but other than that it's simple repetition. Also, we do a sort of fill in the blank approach so he doesn't have to memorize the whole thing right away.
That all being said, we need a plan for our verses. We want a plan that covers a wide range of verses and a plan that gives him lifelong truths in twelve verses. The plan below is for us but we encourage you to steal it. This plan doesn't have to start in January, though it can. As I write this it's September 30th, so if you're reading it tonight then start the first verse in October or whatever month you happen to be in. The bottom line is that this is about hiding God's Word in your child's heart, so there's no bad time to start.
Month 1- "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." Genesis 1:1
Month 2- "The LORD bless you and keep you." Numbers 6:24
Month 3- "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid." Isaiah 12:2a
Month 4-"Love the LORD your God with all your heart." Deuteronomy 6:5a
Month 4- "Trust in the LORD with all your heart." Proverbs 3:5a
Month 5- "Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good. His love endures forever." Psalm 136:1
Month 6- "Your Word is a lamp for my feet. A light for my path." Psalm 119:105
Month 7- "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." John 1:1
Month 8- "Love your neighbor as yourself." Matthew 22:39b
Month 9- "I am the way and the truth and the life." John 14:6a
Month 10- Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" Philippians 4:4
Month 11- "We love because He first loved us." 1 John 4:19
Month 12- "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved." Acts 16:31a
Most of these verses are in the NIV so feel free to use your translation of choice. But no matter the translation, whether you are using the King James or The Message, just remember that you are loading your child with truth that they can use today and for the rest of their lives. Don't doubt that your child can learn this even as a toddler.
Remember the best day to start teaching your child to the Bible and hiding it in their hearts is... today!
My home state of Iowa is all abuzz about Carson King, Busch beer and the Des Moines Register. You can read this article to see some of the details.
I have an opinion on this debate as a father and as a member of the media. I shared more than enough of my opinions on my show today. I don't agree with how the story was written and researched. I don't like the idea that a newspaper feels like its job is to find dirt on people doing good. I also don't like what King said when he was a 16 year-old boy; it was racist. I don't like the fact that Daniel Tosh (the man who originally said what King tweeted) and Comedy Central (the network that aired the original "jokes") have been widely ignored in this whole discussion. I'm afraid of the ramifications of a "cancel culture" that proclaims the internet to be its modern Salem for hunting witches.
That all being said, I believe this is a great teaching moment for parents.
When I read the news I immediately talked with our 14 year-old foster son. We had a brief discussion about how the internet is forever and it is more public than he might think.
Parents must explain to their children about the impact of words. We must explain how powerful our words are. We must tell them as a general rule to let their words be fewer and more thoughtful. Share some of these verses with them and let them know that tweeting is talking, snapping is talking, our fingers can be our lips in this day and age.
"Wise men store up knowledge,
but the mouth of a fool invites ruin." Proverbs 10:14
"When words are many, sin is not absent,
but he who holds his tongue is wise." Proverbs 10:19
"Reckless words pierce like a sword,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing." Proverbs 12:16
"A gentle answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger." Provers 15:1
"The tongue of the wise commends knowledge,
but the mouth of the fool gushes folly." Proverbs 15:2
"A man finds joy in an apt reply
and how good is a timely word." Proverbs 15:23
"Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent,
and discerning if he holds his tongue." Proverbs 17:28
"A fool finds no pleasure in understanding
but delights in airing his own opinions." Proverbs 18:2
"A fool's mouth is his undoing,
and his lips a snare to his soul." Proverbs 18:7
"For lack of wood the fire goes out,
and where there is no whispering, quarreling ceases." Proverbs 26:20
"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." Ephesians 4:29
"If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless." James 1:26
Don't let this news story simply work us up into a frenzy. Don't let this be another teachable moment for us that goes unlearned from. The media has lessons to learn and so do all of us. Teach your children and yourself to watch your words today.
Sometimes you may wonder if you could handle poverty. You look at people less fortunate and wonder about the faith it would take to trust God in dire economic circumstances. No doubt, it takes faith to trust God when you're living paycheck to paycheck or when there isn't food on the table every night.
Can I handle wealth?
When I read my Bible it seems to scream that this is the better question. I've been reading through the life of Solomon. When you read about Solomon you're left wondering who can handle wealth.
Solomon was the wisest man who ever lived. God appeared to Solomon twice. Solomon saw the glory of the LORD fill the temple. And Solomon was taken down by the unholy trinity of money, power and sex.
If Solomon can fall, we all can fall.
"The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents, not including the revenues from merchants and traders and from all the Arabian kings and the governors of the land." 1 Kings 10:14
"Solomon accumulated chariots and horses; he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses... Solomon's horses were imported from Egypt..." 1 Kings 10:26a & 28a
"King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh's daughter... Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, 'You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.' Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray." 1 Kings 11:1-3
666. The weight in gold was listed as "evil, evil, evil". His horses and chariots were from Egypt. His unequally yoked sexual partners numbered a thousand. Solomon was in direct disobedience to what Moses commanded.
"The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the LORD has told you, 'You are not to go back that way again.' He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold." Deuteronomy 17:16-17
Solomon was famous for his immense wisdom. He had access to Yahweh Himself, and yet he sinned and led the nation into sin. Money, power and sex ruined him and wisdom alone couldn't stop it.
Money, power and sex seep into the heart like no other drugs.
No wonder Jesus warned the rich (Luke 6:24) and the powerful (Matthew 23:13-39) so much. While we are so busy wondering if we could handle poverty, Satan is sedating us with wealth. You and I are part of the most wealthy group of human beings in the history of the world and we tell ourselves we aren't. We live pampered, unsatisfied lives.
You and I may not be like Solomon in as much as we get 666 talents (25 tons) of gold a year, but we are wealthy beyond the wildest dreams of most humans who have ever walked this planet.
"Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.'
When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, 'Who then can be saved?
Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:23-26
We are wealthy and it is hard for us to enter the Kingdom. If Solomon, the wisest man to ever live, could fail so miserably then we are hopeless. Except we aren't hopeless. We have the Living Hope. We have the One who enables us to enter the Kingdom whether rich or poor.
"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:12-13
Christ is our only hope. Praying "Be Thou My Vision" is the only hope we have. Christ gives us the strength to do the improbable and the impossible.
My fellow rich friends, recognize the comforts that want to strangle you to death. These things can either be a tool for spreading the Gospel or a designer noose we bought for ourselves. The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil (1 Timothy 6:10). Fight the urge to love money, power and sex. Fight the urge to trust in your bank account instead of Christ. Ask God to give you the power to handle wealth today.
A Mississippi event hall recently made international news by refusing to host a wedding of an interracial couple. The black man and white woman were told they couldn't use the Boone's Camp Event Hall in Booneville, Mississippi because interracial marriage was against the owners' "christian" beliefs. In fact, they said it was against the teachings of the Bible. The video of their ridiculous claims has gone viral.
Now the owners have since consulted with a pastor who informed them that they were dead wrong. They have apologized as of today for their stupidity (my words not theirs). I sure hope the couple still doesn't give them a dime after this, but that's up to them.
I'm saddened that this sentence is even relevant to type today, "A theology in opposition to interracial marriage is an abominable theology from the pits of Hell."
People sadly have missed this and it has made Christ look less beautiful to the world. Bob Jones University didn't end its ban on interracial dating until George W. Bush's campaign visit ignited public attention that shamed them into doing so in the year 2000. Bob Jones University's thinking propagated blatant racism under the banner of Jesus. What an absolute shame.
The Bible has always stood against this garbage theology. Remember the story of Miriam and Aaron criticizing Moses for his black wife? Moses was married to a Cushite woman. Cush was a region south of modern Ethiopia and there is no doubt she had black skin and God's response to Miriam and Aaron shows that the blackness of her skin was their complaint.
"Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite." Numbers 12:1
Miriam and Aaron resented Moses because he married a black woman. Pay attention to God's response.
"The anger of the LORD burned against them, and he left them. When the cloud lifted from the Tent, there stood Miriam... leprous, like snow." Numbers 12:9-10a
Pastor John Piper says it's as if God said, "You like being light skinned, Miriam? I'll make you light skinned." He adds that if anyone were "to think that black skin were a symbol of Biblical uncleanness, be careful; a worse white uncleanness could come upon you."
Most of you don't need this reminder but I'm giving it anyway. If you are one who believes this lie from Satan: repent immediately. Interracial marriage is not against Biblical teaching; in fact, any marriage covenant under the direction of the Holy Scriptures is beautiful because it points to the coming marriage between Christ and the Church.
I'm saddened by this story this week. I'm saddened that this sort of thinking still exists and stains the reputation of my Savior and wrecks the hearts of my brothers and sisters of various hues. Christians, let's stand for a more beautiful thing. Let's not let racist thinking turn our eyes away from what the Bible actually says today.
My wife and I are foster parents. On November 6th we took sweet little "L" into our home. "L" has been back with her mom since before the Summer began. The other day we went to her 2nd birthday party and had a blast reconnecting with her and her family.
"L" was our first and only foster child.
A weird feeling enters your mind after you've had a foster child come into your home and leave. There's this relief that comes simply from raising three kids and going back to two. But there's also this feeling of having done your job. There's satisfaction of course from having helped reunify a family, but there's also a feeling of, "we've done our job and now we can retire".
When we started our foster care lives we knew we wanted only children 0-5 or so and that we could only handle one at a time.
Recently God had been preparing us to change our minds. We went to a class on how to care for type-4 curly, mostly African-American hair. At that class there were so many amazing families. These families were doing things far beyond what we were doing. We felt like we were on the JV Foster Team. There were pregnant couples taking babies, people taking sibling groups and so much more beyond what we felt able to do.
Meanwhile, our non-foster parent friends were convinced that we were some sort of amazing couple. They constantly told us how special we were... and all this while not having a foster child in the home. Somehow we needed to keep these praising people from finding out about the Varsity Foster Team.
We started to feel convicted about how safe we played things.
Then Pastor Brian gave a sermon about following Jesus. He kept talking about what it looks like to really follow Jesus. What it looks like to be like the disciples who left their lives behind, their plans behind, their family behind to follow Jesus. The conviction noose was getting tighter around our necks.
Monday night we got a call.
"Can you take in a 5 month old baby boy and a 14 year old boy?"
Of course this broke two of the fundamental rules we knew about the Ray Family Foster Care Plan. But the conviction noose had done its job. We both knew the right answer and we knew the right answer wasn't the answer our friends or family or advisors might give us. We knew the answer was, "Come, follow Me." (Matthew 4:19)
The boys would come the very next day.
That night before they arrived as we got into bed our minds and hearts were going a thousand miles per hour. We had so many questions. So many insecurities. So many worries. We knew we weren't capable and this wasn't our plan.
As we got into bed I said to Christine, "Our lives are being interrupted. Good to know our lives aren't really our own. We're only servants."
If you want to own your own life, don't follow Jesus. If you love your plans for your life, don't follow Jesus. If you want to play it safe, don't follow Jesus.
But if you want life and and life more abundantly (John 10:10), then follow Jesus. If you want a life that matters eternally, follow Jesus. If you want to take a risk and discover you're actually safer than you could ever imagine, follow Jesus. If you want to be a Christian, follow Jesus.
The baby and young man moved in last night. The baby is sweet as can be. The young man is so grown up for being only an 8th grader. We've gotten to meet their family and they are so very nice. I don't write this so you can begin the sainting process. We still aren't near the Varsity Foster Team. Don't build us up by tearing down these kids and their family in the least bit.
I write this to ask you what God is calling you to do. What is Jesus asking you to lay down in order to fully follow Him? What tangible or intangible stuff must you leave behind to follow Jesus? Because it's all just stuff. We lay down stuff to get a perfect pearl; we sell things in order to get treasure (Matthew 13:44-46).
There's so much more stuff in my life to which I cling. There are so many things I hold dear that the Apostle Paul calls crap (Philippians 3:8).
"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained." Philippians 3:12-16
If you want a simple life, don't follow Jesus. But if you want an abundant and exciting life, follow Jesus today.
(Please pray for us. Pray for wisdom. Pray for the boys. Pray for their family. Pray that this transition will be smooth, remember that it's not their Plan A either.)
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." James 1:17
Our Fighter Verses, James 1:17, for this week at church is very fitting. Tomorrow is my 6th wedding anniversary.
"He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD." Proverbs 18:22
Christine is a good gift from above. She is by no means perfect and our marriage is by no means perfect but it is and she is a good and perfect gift from above. I don't believe in soul mates. I believe there are many people I could have made a life long covenant with and I'm sure there are other men out there that could do the same with Christine; but, that said, I am so glad I have Christine because she is a good and perfect gift for me.
My wife fits me so well. Where I am weak, she is strong. Where I am proud, she is humble. Where I am a fool, she is wise. And I hope I do some of the same for her.
I love being married to a woman that I can't wait to tell the latest and greatest story from my day. I love being married to a woman that still lights up my eye when she comes into the room. I love being married to a woman that raises our kids so well. I love being married to a woman that takes risks with me. I love being married to a woman that has such deeply held values. I love being married to a woman whose touch still gives me goosebumps. I love being married to a woman that doesn't judge me at my worst. I love being married to a woman that is a wonderful cook. I love being married to a woman who supports me well. I love being married to a woman that gave me a whole other wonderful side to my family.
I love being married to Christine Marie Ray.
On days when I don't particularly like being married to her, remind me to read this. Remind me that when I got Christine I got a good thing and obtained favor from the LORD. Remind me that she is a good and perfect gift from a good and perfect Father that never deviates from His good and perfect self. I hope there aren't many days when I forget this, but when they come remind me how profoundly lucky a man I am. Don't let me be an idiot.
Christine, I love you so much more than I did six years ago and six years ago I didn't understand how that was possible. This past year you have done amazing things: you've helped our boy mature, you literally grew a human being inside you and then delivered her into this world, you helped reunite a little girl with her mother, and on top of all that you still managed to love me better this year than the last. Happy Anniversary.
God, I thank you for the good and perfect gifts like Christine that you let me enjoy today.
"Do you have to pee? Well, let's go to the bathroom anyway."
"Point your penis down, Buddy."
"It's O.K. You'll get it next time."
These are things I've said more over the last week and a half than I have in my entire life.
Joshua is toilet training now (Toilet training, not potty training. The word potty is like nails on a chalkboard for me for some weird reason). Training a little boy to use the toilet instead of his pants is a process. Letting him poop and pee in a diaper is more expensive, but it certainly is easier. It is easier at this age to let him continue acting like a baby in this manner than to train him to be a big boy. Maturity in this part of his young life takes effort on the part of Christine and I.
Joshua failed miserably for the first few days, but I am happy to report that after a week and half he's having more successes than failures even though he's not completely trained yet. He still has accidents and he still doesn't tell us on his own when he has to go, but he's so much better than he was the first days.
In the first few days when I didn't see much hope for him my wife had to remind me to trust the process and I'm glad she did.
How many of us parents put more effort into developing mature bathroom habits into our children than into developing mature spiritual habits in their lives?
How many of us live our lives in a manner that displays that where our kids crap is more important to us than where they spend eternity?
Put as much effort into spiritual training your toddler as you do toilet training them.
July 8-11 this year our church held a Vacation Bible School. Joshua just turned two in mid May so we weren't sure if he'd be ready to go as a student, but we sent him anyway. We wondered if he would get anything out of the class.
At the end of the week he brought home a Bible verse in a frame. The verse had crayon scribbles all over it because that's the peak of his art at this age. We were told that the verse was his memory verse for the week. So, Christine tested him to see if he knew it, and he did!
"Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid;" Isaiah 12:2a
We had no idea that he was able to do such a thing. Wouldn't you know that he still has his memory verse memorized today. This VBS experience inspired us. We've begun doing a memory verse a month.
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" Genesis 1:1
This is his verse for August and he has it down. But just like toilet training we had to go over this again and again. A two year old can't simply hear it once and have it memorized. We have to do it over and over. We have to find ways to get him to understand it. We have to put effort into it.
I don't write this to brag, but I am his dad so it might come off that way. I write this to encourage other parents to recognize that our kids are ready to be trained younger than we might think. Joshua and I do call and responses (a catechism of sort) with the definition of the Gospel or about how God created everything and loves us. These are things he's capable of learning but that we have to put effort into doing.
"Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6
"Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." Deuteronomy 11:18-19
Parenting is not easy, but it is important. Don't miss training your children in the eternal even while you're bringing them up to use the toilet and brush their teeth and chew their food. Don't assume our children know something and don't assume they can't know something. Show your children Jesus today.
It plays out in gangster movies. It plays out in North Korea. It plays out in our history books. Copious amounts of bloodshed in the establishing of a kingdom.
Political dynasties, whether legal or illicit, throughout history have rarely changed without violence in the absence of a very strong and well organized government i.e. the United States. Most of the time a new kingdom means blood.
The book of 1 Kings opens with bloodshed. Read it for yourself. Solomon is one of two sons of King David that wants to be the next king. Political maneuvers are made in chapter one until Solomon is declared Israel's third king by his father. Then in chapter two David gives Solomon a charge that includes a hit list. Solomon kills rivals to his throne and political enemies of his father.
It's all rather bloody and more like Game of Thrones or The Godfather than we expect the Bible to be. People are dead in the midst of a fatal game of ancient politics.
Chapter two ends like this:
"Then the king gave the order to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he went and struck Shimei down and killed him.
The kingdom was now firmly established in Solomon's hands." 1 Kings 2:46
As I read this with my Bible study partner Noah Dodd, I wondered where the Gospel was. I try to read every part of the Bible with my "Gospel glasses" on, but I'll be honest and say that I wasn't seeing it in these two chapters very much at all.
Then Noah saw it for me when he said (and I may be paraphrasing) this wonderful sentence:
"Solomon's kingdom was established by the blood of other people; Jesus' Kingdom was established by His own blood."
Yes!
Jesus' Kingdom was established by His own blood. Solomon ended the threat of rebels and potential rebels by shedding their own blood. Jesus ended the threat of rebels by shedding His own blood to transform rebels into sons (Romans 5:10). The blood of others established Solomon's throne for Solomon's brief lifetime and after his death the kingdom split. Jesus' blood established His throne for His eternal lifetime and His Kingdom will never end.
Christ could have established His throne like Solomon, but instead He graciously died to make rebels into sons of the Father and brothers of the King. Thank God that Jesus' throne was established by His blood today.
The other night as I tucked my son into bed I was flooded with emotion due to a thought.
I had just finished our nightly routine. We had read a book, we'd read a Bible story, we'd prayed and we'd sung "Be Thou My Vision". It was time for him to go to sleep. Before I leave his room I kiss him and say, "I love you, Jesus loves you, close your eyes and go to sleep." I do this routine every night that I'm home to put him to bed.
As I kissed him two or three times I had a thought. This thought was not very pleasant despite the fact that I was enjoying putting my eldest to bed.
The thought was this: someday, sooner that I want, my son won't want kisses from his dad anymore.
I know my dad showered me with kisses just like I do with Joshua. Joshua loves getting attacked with kisses. He loves kisses on hurt spots. He loves giving me kisses. But all that will end.
I don't remember it very vividly and I'm not sure my exact age but I do remember my dad kissing me when I was in high school. I remember him coming up and kissing me on my forehead. I also remember thinking, "What on earth was that? That was weird."
As I bent over and kissed my son in his bed, as I had the realization that Joshua kisses are going to end sooner rather than later, I thought of that weird kiss my dad gave me in high school and all the sudden it wasn't so weird. How often will I look at my growing son and want to hold him, tickle him and kiss him like I used to?
I want my son to grow and mature into a man. I don't want him to stay little, but I don't want to miss kissing my little boy. I don't want to miss out on the unadulterated affections of his current age.
"Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12
This verse is about the fleeting nature of life. We simply don't live long. And if the days of our lives are short, how much shorter are these days with our children!
Life with little ones is hectic. It is exhausting sometimes. There are times when bedtime can't come quickly enough. Times when all we want is for them to be unconscious so we can sit down uninterrupted. But the day is fast approaching when I'll look at that man who used to be my little boy and wish he'd say, "Daddy, let's snuggle" and I'd give him kisses until he giggled.
"Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12
"This is the day the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24
Lord, help us all, especially us parents, to number our days aright. Help us not to miss out on the moments that we'll desperately want back later. Help us to remember that the day that you have made for us to enjoy today is not yesterday or tomorrow but today.
