One

I just finished one of those "read in one sitting" books that reshapes your total understanding about something. The Lost Letters of Pergamum is a historically based fictional story about the New Testament world. Comprised of letters "discovered" in an archaeological dig in modern day Turkey, it tells the story of a member of the Roman elite who corresponds with Luke to discuss his recently written Gospel about a man named Jesus Christ.

What follows are accounts of daily life, honor and shame, emperor worship, and early Christian churches. Such historical background is unknown - and often uninteresting - to the 21st century reader.

But the book's narrative presents the information in a powerful, engaging way. And it subtly introduces this idea: the world of the New Testament is not much different than the world of the Internet.

This is made most clear as the Roman aristocrat closes his first letters to Luke with blessings from the myriad of gods worshipped in the Roman empire. But over time, many of the characters realize that they cannot worship Jesus Christ and the gods of Rome, not even the emperor. Not all of the Romans embrace this view though - they mix worship of Christ with worship of man and end up with a very lukewarm spiritual life.

Sounds a lot like today. People far and wide affirm that many roads lead to God and to eternity in Heaven. They suggest that Buddha, Christ, Jewish Law, and Muhammed all lead to the same place. This is not a new argument. In the tolerant Roman empire, most believed that the more gods you worshiped the better.

But Pergamum makes clear that the earliest Christians - those who knew Christ or were in the first generation after His ascension to Heaven - often chose death over worshiping the emperor or any other Roman gods. They affirmed only one "Way, Truth, and Life," and often gave their lives for this belief.

Aside from this point, the book gives great clarity to the first century world. It helps us better understand and interpret the New Testament as well as increase our understanding of this post-modern world in which we are called to serve.

Silence

This semester I am taking a class on Old Testament history. We discussed Nehemiah, the last historical book in the Old Testament the other day. And one of the things my professor said fired my imagination. Though the beginning of Nehemiah is a well known place to find lessons on leadership, the last half of the book chronicles a major revival among the Jews, their return to the law, and then (yet another) period of all-out rebellion and rejection of Yahweh. The leadership that Nehemiah provides largely fails to accomplish the larger goal, which is to bring God's people back to worship and obedience. So the book closes with Nehemiah admonishing Jews who are not giving to support the Temple, not setting aside the Sabbath, and marrying those who worship foreign idols.

And after the last verse of Nehemiah, God is silent for four hundred years. SILENT.

From almost the beginning of time, God had spoken to His people either directly, through prophets like Moses, Joshua, Isaiah, and Jeremiah, or through the Holy Law. But the people rebelled and rejected God over and over and over . . . even though at times they could physically see God's presence in the cloud, fire, or tabernacle. And the God of long-suffering kept pursuing and redeeming His chosen people though each generation became more rebellious and evil.

And at the end of Nehemiah, after all of God's people have been taken into exile as punishment and returned by grace, they read the Law and then they reject God. Again.

Though this did not take God by surprise, I imagine that at this moment He looked back. He gave the Patriarchs in Genesis the opportunity to lead the people to worship Him and they FAILED. He gave the prophets Moses and Joshua the opportunity to lead the people to worship Him and they FAILED. He gave the Law as a signpost to lead the people to worship Him and it FAILED. He established Judges and Kings to lead the people to worship Him and they FAILED. He ordained priests to lead the people to worship Him and they FAILED. He sent prophets like Jeremiah and Isaiah to lead the people to worship Him and they FAILED.

So, God realized that He could not say anything else to convince His chosen people to worship Him.

So I imagine God looking around the room, looking for someone who could lead the people to worship God and relate to Him. No one God had ever sent had accomplished the mission.

And then God realized the only solution - instead of looking out to those He created, He looked within the Triune Godhead He has been with forever. And He looked at God the Son, Jesus Christ, and realized that only God made flesh can lead people to worship God.

No more talking, no more words, no more people. For 400 silent years.

And then an angel appeared to a man burning incense in the Temple to God gone silent. And the angel promised him a son named John, who would be full of the God's Spirit and would come before the One who would "turn the hearts of the Fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." (Luke 1:17) John the Baptist would prepare the way for Messiah, Jesus Christ.

Silence over. A new promise made. And the very beginning of a new story introducing "the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world." (Revelation 13:8)

WeakStrong

As I prepared for this semester, I knew that it was going to be an extremely busy time. So I looked at my commitments other than school and was extremely concerned about my ability to do it all. As I prayed about this issue and considered "uncommitting" from a couple of things, the Lord led me to II Corinthians 12:10. I wasn't even sure there were twelve chapters in that book! But I turned and indeed there was.

II Corinthians 12:10 ends a passage where Paul is discussing his weaknesses, and he concludes with this: "for when I am weak, then I am strong." Earlier in the passage, the Lord tells Paul that "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." As I read these words, I felt the Lord telling me to keep my commitments and begin to walk in a spirit of weakness, depending fully on Him and His grace to sustain me.

So, we're a month into the semester. I've realized that I have never been challenged like this before in my life. The job the Lord has provided offers ministry at a level I cannot imagine. While every moment of my life is full (even when I'm asleep, I'm thinking about Greek - just ask Heather!), it is full of God's presence and power.

I begin nearly every day by confessing that I cannot do everything God has given me to do. For the first time in my life, I relaize my own limitations. And in my weakness, God is extending His power and being made strong in my life. And everything is getting done (except the dishes) and ministry is happening.

The Lord suggested during this time that He was enrolling me in another class this fall - one on walking in the weakness that reveals His power. But it seems more like an internship. And I'm realizing again that the truth of Scripture and the power of God have no limit. And when I am weak and exhausted, Christ in me is strong and powerful.

It reminds me of a professor who defined ministry like this: "You must do what you cannot do with what you do not have for the rest of your lives." No resources. No abilities. But full reliance on God. And the amazing opportunity to see His glory and power displayed in our lives. Could we even ask for anything more?

New(s)

I have a friend who taught me years ago that change is the only constant in our lives. How true that has been of our summer. Every corner we have turned has led to new opportunities, challenges, and experience. So, in turn, we have some new(s) to share with those of you we are close to.

Heather has had two jobs this summer. She worked briefly for an Indian technology firm as an office executive. God sent that job at just the right time. Then she got a call from a staffing agency about working in marketing with Marriott Hotels. She pursued that opportunity and is working in a possible temp-to-hire position as Marketing Coordinator for the Western region. Its new, different, and exciting but I think Heather is doing a great job.

My work in wireless ended earlier this month and I have found a new part time position. I will be a Public Speaker with Aim for Success, an education non-profit that speaks to student groups about life choices, abstinence, drugs/alcohol, etc. It looks to be a powerful ministry opportunity.

The fall semester has started at DTS. I am taking the first round of Greek, two theology classes, and a class covering the historical narratives and poetry of the Old Testament. So it will be a challenging, exciting semester.

Now that everything is back in session, I hope to blog more as I reflect on life, seminary, etc. Hope you'll join us for the journey!

Dog

Just over a month ago, we had a temporary addition to our family. We are taking care of Chloe, Heather's mom's dog. In the process, I have fallen hopelessly in love with this sweet, loving girl. And I've learned something about caring for a very small, somewhat dependent animal.

Chloe's favorite place to walk is a run of lush green grass on the side of our apartment building. It is a beautiful spot and she loves all the scents and scenery (I only presume this - she has not told me personally!). When we walk or jog through that part of the yard, she is almost always attracted to one of two large antbeds. To her they probably look like Mount Everest or the sweet north Georgia mountains. And when she takes off in that direction, I pull her leash the other direction. Sometimes she persists and really wants to explore the "mountain." So I pull a little harder - it might even hurt her a little bit. But I take the risk because I am protecting her from a massive anthill and thousands of ants that would love to cause Chloe great pain.

Tonight I am reminded that God the Father is like this. There are many times when I want something desperately and I run in that direction with all of my heart, mind and strength. But as I'm going, something snaps and God pulls me away from my pursuit, my desire. I can't understand it because I cannot tell the difference between a majestic mountain and a deadly anthill. But He can.

This is a timely lesson to learn because today Heather found out that she didn't get another very promising job. It hurts her which hurts me. Neither of us could have imagined the challenge and difficulty of this job search. But I'm coming to learn that when God changes our direction and denies our desires it is probably because we are pursuing an anthill disguised as a mountain. And just as Chloe is with us, we must trust our loving, sovereign God to know the difference.

The words of Job are very meaningful tonight:
"Shall we receive the good at the hand of God, and not receive the bad?" (Job 2:10)

Three

One of my favorite Vineyard songs is called "He is Yahweh." The best line goes "the three in one/He is Yahweh." Last week I took a class on Trinitarianism and I learned in great detail what it means that our God is Three in One.

What is most compelling to me is the perfect, eternal relationship the Father, Son, and Spirit share in the one divine essence. The Greek word for this relationship is perichoresis (pear-E-core-A-sis) and means co-indwelling. Or as my professor likes to think of it, it means 'to dance around.' At first this probably doesn't sound too exciting. But what this Greek word means is that the Father, Son, and Spirit are in this beautiful, forever, united, giving, loving relationship with each other. Our God is not lonely sitting on a throne by Himself. The Father, Son, and Spirit are forever dancing around within each other.

And we are made in His image (Genesis 1:26). We are made in the image of a God who has enjoyed perfect relationship forever. Could it be that we are made for relationship as well? That we are made for mutual acceptance, unity of purpose, giving, loving relationships with one another as believers, with our spouses, with our families and friends? Could this explain the loneliness every human being feels at some point in their lives? The desire to express love and receive love? Could all of it boil down to the fact that God is Three and Three is One?

I think it does. My professor suggests that the Trinitarian worldview (which is unique to Christianity) is the ONLY way to explain our innate desire for companionship, love, and acceptance. Perhaps this could revolutionize the church's teaching on marriage, divorce, and even change the way the church is run (I don't see ministry turf wars or church splits in the Trinity).

One of the ways our professor pounded home this message was by playing secular love songs in class and asking us to listen for echoes of the Trinity, I would encourage you to listen to the music and watch the movies of our broken, compartmentalized, lonely world and you will hear the cries of those formed in the image of the Trinity.

Below is a most compelling song he played for us. I have never heard of the song or the artist, but these lyrics best depict the echoes of the Trinity found in marriage. May our Trinitarian hearts find such love and acceptance in Him and in our lifemates:

Heaven Help
John McCutcheon

Heaven help the one. Heaven help the two.
Heaven help me say these things I need to say to you.
It seems a simple thing to tell you what I feel,
But I'm stumbling and I'm staggering over what I know is real.

Back when we were young, just a boy and girl,
It seems like we had all the time and chances in the world.
A graduation gown into a wedding dress,
A garden in the backyard and a baby at your breast.
This world we made of love and flesh and bone
Grew up and walked out the door and made worlds of their own.

So here we are again as the river flows on,
This house feels like a coat too big with the children grown and gone.
And now we're left alone, just me, just you.
All this space to find ourselves, I guess it's overdue.
After all these years you'd think I'd have a name.
For the mystery that keeps this heart and life aflame

Come take my hand. Come take my heart.
Come take me to that place where you and I can start.
Let the lights go down. Let the days grow dim
Though all the world may turn you out, I will take you in.

Heaven help the one. Heaven help the two.

Code

This week CNN hosted a forum on “Faith + Politics” that featured three leading candidates for President. The first shared his deep faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and explained his daily reliance on prayer. He then went on to explain that despite his personal moral convictions about homosexuality, he supported civil unions for homosexuals. This tolerance was based on his deep belief that everyone had a right to believe and live as they chose. Another candidate explained that speaking publicly about faith was difficult because of the Christian tradition he was raised in. It was a fascinating glimpse into Christian faith in the West in 2007.

Every candidate on the panel last night mentioned faith in God. They used many Christian code words. But I wonder what they mean when they confess faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Which Lord Jesus Christ? Peek into different churches or denominations on a Sunday morning and you will usually confront different depictions of Jesus. So it begs the question – which Jesus do you believe in? The human Jesus who was a masterful teacher, the divine Jesus who healed, some mixture thereof? But its dangerous to just accept the touchy-feely statement that someone has deep faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The second thing that struck me was the idea of Christian faith as a private, personal experience. The early church, the people who were closest to Jesus and His apostles, expressed their Christian walk almost entirely in the context of community. They knew nothing of the individualistic faith that is so popular in the 21st century. I suggest that their communal approach was the result of deep change in their lives. Following Christ was not done on a business trip or on the campaign trail, it was the defining point in their lives. It changed everything, inwardly and outwardly. But today, it is much more common for people to talk about their personal, individual walk of faith and relationship with Christ. But I’m just not sure that is Biblical or reflective of the early church.

The final thing that troubled me was how faith in Christ was compartmentalized. Even the forum itself suggested that faith is a topic to be segregated from topics like the war in Iraq, healthcare, and immigration. This compartmentalization also allows someone to confess faith in Christ on one hand while standing firmly against His teachings on the other. If Jesus is truly Lord, no believer (even if he is the President of the United States) has the right or authority to decline to follow His perfect, complete, and holy teachings. Christ does not call compartmentalized disciples but committed disciples.

In the last ten years, “Christians” have become a target market and voting block. Let’s face it – its not difficult to learn our Christian code words and advance the appearance of faith. So it is up to us to understand who and what we believe and realize the life of commitment we are called to. And as we grow in understanding our faith and its object, we must beware those who speak the code without displaying the commitment.

A Guilty Post

Well it happened. The closer I got to the end of the spring semester the less time I found for blogging. I feel guilty. So guilty I haven't known what to say again or how to get started again. So I'll just confess my wrong and hope you'll forgive and understand.

Things did get unbelievably hectic at the end of the semester, but I am so amazed at how I have grown and been challenged over the last four months. Here are just a couple of the things I take away from this first semester in seminary:

- God is on mission, His Word is about mission, and He calls all of His followers to mission
- Ministry is doing what you cannot do with what you do not have for the rest of your lives
- What God has done in the past is a model and a promise for what He will do in the future, though He is too creative to do the same thing in the same way twice
- The God of the Pentateuch is not a God of wrath but a God of incredible love, grace and patience (and the Pentateuch is one of the most amazing stories ever written)

I'll be back soon with more. Thanks for reading!

My Thoughts on God

In the last post, I shared an assignment for my Spiritual Life class to describe who God is and what He is like. Here is my response:

I reflect on God and His attributes with great inadequacy, fearing that my thoughts will reflect more on my sinfulness and finiteness than on a God who is holy, perfect, loving, and good. God is first powerful creator. With the flick of his wrist He dispatched millions of stars throughout the universe. His hands shaped the mountains and carved the depths of the sea. Yet this same God lovingly sent His son to this earth and allowed His hands to be nailed to a cross. The hill he rounded out at Calvary became the hill up which His son would painfully climb and give his life. This sacrifice reveals the truth of I John 4:8 that “God is love.” As part of God’s love, he invited me into His family, became My Father, and asked me to become His son. He knows the number of hairs on my head and the depths of darkness in my soul, but His love remains. This love has changed my life and for that I am very grateful.

God’s love requires Him to be intimately involved in the lives of those He has created. Since Genesis, He has sought our company and companionship. Though He fully knows our evil deeds and heart, His desire is to be our Friend. God invites us to spend time with Him, rely on Him, and ask Him for guidance, help, and provision on our earthly journey. In His will, He responds to our needs and proves His intimate involvement in our lives. When I look back on my life, I see God’s gracious gentle hand drawing me closer to Him.

God’s love and involvement must not cause us to overlook His perfection and holiness. God is perfect – He lacks nothing. He is complete in Himself. However, this perfection is balanced by holiness. God is so pure and good that He must be set apart from those who commit sins. His inherent goodness provides the only baseline for righteousness, for God can commit only righteous, just acts. This attribute causes me the most fear and misunderstanding in my journey with God. I am unable to understand God’s balance between love and holiness. When I miss God’s perfect mark, I fear His punishment and the withdrawal of His presence. Most days, something deep within me whispers that God is punishing me for the sins I commit. I wonder why God does not respond to my faith, faulty though it can be, as quickly as I would like. At other times, however, God’s love so consumes me that I feel like a child in his father’s arms.

What Is God Like?

This seems to be a simple question. Until you are asked to write a one page answer to the question. Here is the assignment I have been working on this week:

Write a one page summary of your thoughts concerning God. What do you understand an attribute of God to be? Develop a list of God's attributes as you see them. What are your "gut feelings" about God? Is He for you? Against you? Be totally honest about your feelings. Can you trust God or are you afraid to trust Him? If you are afraid to trust Him, why? If you can't trust Him, why?

The first time I sat down to do this assignment, the page stayed blank and the cursor just blinked. One page shouldn't take to0 long, right? As I have thought about what God is like this week and (finally) been able to write my one page, my understanding of God and how I view Him has grown.

So before I post my honest response next week, I wanted to give you time to find a quiet spot, reflect on these questions, and write them down if you are interested. I hope it will impact you as it has impacted me.

The Light on a Dark Path

Last week, we had a tough day as we continued the job search and experienced quite a setback. The day ended with discouragement at a high level. Neither of us could sleep very well. So in the middle of the night I got up and went to the Bible and I was quickly reminded that "the word of God is living and active" (Hebrews 4:12).

I turned to the Psalms because David often experienced deep frustration and anxiety as he fled from King Saul. I knew I would find comfort and solace in his words, especially because so many Psalms start with exasperation (where I was) and end with praise (where I needed to be).

So I opened up Psalms and was quickly led to Psalm 37. I read the first verses:

"Do not fret because of the wicked;
do not be envious of evildoers,
for they will soon fade like the grass,
and wither like the green herb.

Trust in the Lord, and do good;
so you will live in the land, and
enjoy security.
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you desires of your heart.

Commit your ways to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act . . .

Be still before the Lord, and wait
patiently for him;
do not fret . . .

Do not fret - it leads only to evil . . .
but those who wait for the Lord
shall inherit the land."

There before me was a light path in the dark night, a way to deal with the anxiety and confusion of the day:

• Do not fret - this is a hard one for most of us, especially when things are uncertain
  
  
• Have the right perspective - this is what David reminds us when he discusses the fate of evildoers. Last time I checked, we all have the same fate. Just like us, our problems are really temporary.
  
  
• Trust in the Lord - again not easy, but very necessary
  
  
• Take delight in the Lord - in one of our classes, we discussed his verse as taking delight not just in the Lord's crown but also in His cross
  
  
• Commit your way to the Lord
  
  
• Trust in him - this is the second time this one has come around. Must be important.
  
  
• Be still before the Lord - in 2007? Its hard to be still while you're microwaving popcorn. But the only way to send the anchor deep enough is to stop the boat for a while.
  
  
• Do not fret - Second time
  
  
• Do not fret - Three's a charm. This time we are told that fretting leads only to evil. So the person at the beginning of the psalm fretting about evildoers will eventually become an evildoer if he continues fretting. Why? Because it is impossible to fret with faith.
  
  
• Wait for the Lord - A second reminder that God will act, but only in His time. Therefore we must wait.

Later in the Psalm are two of the most powerful verses in all of Scripture:

"The steps of a good man
are ordered by the Lord;
and he delights in his way."

"I have been young, and now
am old,
YET I have not seen the righteous
forsaken
or their children begging bread."

In the darkness of the night, I found such a clear word of encouragement from the Living Word. Next time, maybe I won't let so much time pass before I let God's living word provide the light onto a dark path.

Passionately Pursuing the Glory of God

Well, I've been quiet for a while because I've been quite busy. Two weeks ago, the routine of classes halted for a week-long World Evangelization Conference (WEC) at DTS followed by a welcome spring break (my first in three years!).

The missions conference continued to profoundly impact my view of missions in the Christian life. I attended a couple of workshops designed for pastors who want to serve in missional churches. We also heard from Claude Hickman, a DTS alum in his thirties that speaks to college students around the world about serving in missions. He really opened my eyes to the incredible commitment of young people in fulfilling the Great Commission and the impact they have had around the globe. Here are some of the most powerful quotes from the conference:

"The Bible says that He is not willing that any should perish - are you?"

"If your church closed its doors today, who would be most impacted? Would any non-believer within the community weep because the doors of your church closed?"

"Expect great things from God, Attempt great things for God." William Carey, father of modern missions

"Lord I am willing to go anywhere at anytime to do anything for you." Luther Wishard

"Most people plan on staying but are willing to go. Instead plan on going and be willing to stay."

It was quite a week and I find myself thinking more about the world, about how God feels about the people around the world, and wondering and praying about what my place in that great pursuit is.

We will see. The primacy of missions has been the biggest surprise of seminary thus far. Let each of us be found ready to pursue all that God is calling us to wherever that may be!

The Foolishness of the Wise

Yesterday morning, news spread quickly that Jesus' family tombs were discovered outside of Jerusalem. The finding is part of a documentary by James Cameron, the director of the blockbuster Titanic. Unnamed statisticians in the article estimate that the odds are "in the range of a couple of million to one" that the tombs belonged to Jesus of Nazareth, his wife, and children.

Just before I logged into the news that day, I read the following verses in I Corinthians:

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God . . . . Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

. . . . For God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom and God's weakness is stronger than human strength.

It seems that Mr. Cameron and his crew have embraced the wisdom of the world and in the end their findings will look very foolish.

As many scholars are pointing out, the names Jesus, James, Mary, Judah were commonplace in the 1st century. What Cameron has discovered is as impressive as someone in the year 4007 discovering the graves of John, James, Michael, Mary in Dallas or Atlanta. Not really groundbreaking.

But the statisticians say the odds of the grave belonging to the historical Jesus are a couple million to one. This seems impressive, until one realizes that the historical Jesus (who they are proving existed) fulfilled approximately 300 prophecies spoken hundreds of years before his lifetime. Peter Stoner's book Science Speaks says, "the change that any man might have lived down to the present time and fulfilled all eight prophecies is 1 in 10 to the 17th power." That is 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000. Further, Jesus fulfilled hundreds of Old Testament prophecies, not just eight. A powerful illustration of the foolish message of salvation compared to the logical, rational wisdom of the world.

So what?

In light of this development, what is a Christian to do? I jokingly called my mom when the news broke and told her we were moving back because the seminary had closed its doors. On Sunday, March 4th, the Discovery Channel is going to air a documentary about the discovered tomb. I suggest that Christ followers read the ultimate truth on this earth, God's Word, while the documentary is on the air. We should also pray for Mr. Cameron and the people who watch the program that the eternal truth of the empty tomb would pierce their hearts and lives. This would be much more meaningful and effective than protesting the channel or watching to point out the inaccuracies.

Let those of us who have experienced the saving power of the cross take this opportunity to live by our faith and join God in His mission to make wise the foolish and expose the foolishness of the world's wise.

A Special Note for Our Family & Friends

We've been in Dallas for over six weeks now. The one thing Heather and I have realized is how much we miss the people that live where we used to. I've never moved away from every support structure I have (church, work, family, familiarity, etc). And we have spent many hours reminiscing about our home church, our friends, our family, my men's group.

So all this to say we love you and we miss you. And thank you for putting flesh on Paul's opening words in Philippians:

"I thank my God every time I remember you" (Philippians 1.3)

And hey, while you're here register your email so you know when I post new thoughts in real time.

The Great Commission Fulfilled?

On Monday, I got to hear Andy Stanley of NorthPoint Community Church speak at a conference about church ministry and leadership. He is an amazing communicator with insightful guidance into ministry. One of his controversial practices at NorthPoint is to take the church staff through leading business books. They have only read one or two spiritual books since the church was founded in the mid-90's.

A lot of people have criticized this approach by saying it is not spiritual or its too corporate minded. But Stanley shared a very powerful response:

"Coca-Cola has been in business for just over 100 years . . . and they have already fulfilled their great commission. The church has been around for 2,000 years and we have not."

"Maybe they just have more at stake than we do."

When he said that, the room was silent for five, ten seconds. It was a palpable silence - one you could feel.

In my missions class, I am learning that while many hundreds of thousands of missionaries have given up everything - including their lives - there are still thousands of unreached people groups around the world representing hundreds of millions of people who are lost. For eternity. Without hope.

And the church is just not as focused on its core mission as many corporations are. Those that worship the dollar have expanded their kingdom and we have not. And I would suggest that it is because we are often times focused on eating our own because they aren't "spiritual" enough, Biblical enough, or not enough like us.

And in the end, the world suffers. They have Coke but they cannot have the life to the fullest that Christ died to bring us.

So let's embrace principles that work to share the Greatest News with a hungry world. And stop criticizing those at the cross who are different.

What Tastes Good

I recently heard the following quote attributed to Oprah:
"Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels."

She has obviously never experienced a fresh Reese's Peanut Butter Cup!

Quick update on Fat Tuesday - I'm giving up chocolate for Lent. Pray for me!

Who Wrote Genesis?

I minored in Christianity at a small private school that was affiliated with a major church denomination. I remember my excitement at the start of my first Christianity class - I thought it would be like Sunday School. We would just read and talk about the greatness of God.

How wrong I was! The aim of the professors and textbooks was to convince us that the Bible was not accurate, original, or even fully inspired! I took the bait (sounds kind of like she gave me the apple, eh?) and began to question my faith and distrust God's Word.

The Lord was faithful to me even in my faithlessness and He called me back Home very quickly. Now as I have started classes at DTS, I am so thankful for the seminary's absolute belief in the inerrancy of the Bible.

In my first class on Genesis through Judges, we discussed who wrote the Pentateuch. Tradition holds that Moses wrote it, but many scholars today believe it was composed by four different authors 1500 years after Abraham lived. My professor examined both theories with the class and then dismissed the latter idea. He said, "At DTS, we believe Moses was the author." It was a great moment.

One of the reasons we believe that Moses authored Genesis is the amazing unity found within the book. After the initial creation story, each story in Genesis starts with the Hebrew word toledoth (pronounced toll-e-dot) which means the history of, the result of, the account of, from the birth of. Here are the ten toledoths found in Genesis:

• Toledoth of Heavens and the Earth - Gen 2:4-4:26
• Toledoth of Adam - Gen 5:1-6:8
• Toledoth of Noah - Gen 6:9-9:29
• Toledoth of Shem, Ham and Japeth - Gen 10:1-11:9
• Toledoth of Shem - Gen 11:10-26
• Toledoth of Terah - Gen 11:27-25:11
• Toledoth of Ishmael - Gen 25:12-18
• Toledoth of Isaac - Gen 25:19-35:29
• Toledoth of Esau (Edom) - Gen 36:1-37:1
• Toledoth of Jacob - Gen 37:2-50:26

It would be pretty difficult for four different authors over 300 years with different perspectives to arrive at such a powerful and unified framework or table of contents for the first fifty chapters of the Bible. But it does provide a powerful way to study the book of Genesis in a methodical manner.

It is such a blessing to be at a place where our chief job is not to argue with the Bible but study it and draw closer to God through it.

Promise from Prison

Paul's letter to the Philippians is saturated with hope, joy, thanksgiving and promise. Interesting attitude from the Apostle Paul since he was not only in a Roman prison but chained to a prison guard at all times. In this short letter, Paul expresses deep affection for the church at Philippi and he capitalizes on his suffering situation to outline the way mature, committed Christians should act.

I believe that Philippians 1:27 is a summary for the rest of the letter. Paul writes , "whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ." Throughout the letter, he then focuses on conduct that is worthy of the good news Christ brings: thanksgiving, suffering, serving, pursuing, and peace.

The most important words in this verse are the first two - "whatever happens." Paul's message has great impact and integrity because he is in prison - certainly not the best of places. His situation silently underscores the idea that we can act in a manner worthy of the King no matter what happens to us or where we are.

But how is that done? A lot of it involves the depth of our relationship with Christ. From behind bars, Paul opens his letter by expressing thankfulness for the Philippians and sharing that he often prays for them with joy - in spite of his circumstances.

The Christian is called to suffering and service because of the model of Jesus Christ:
"who . . . made Himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a
servant . . .
He humbled himself
and became obedient to
death ---
even death on a cross!"

Christ's humility and suffering are the model for Christians seeking to conduct themselves in a manner worthy of the Risen Lord.

The next issue for Christian conduct is pursuing Christ above all else. Paul expresses the infinite superiority of knowing Christ to anything else on earth. He makes the famous statement that "to live is Christ and to die is gain." Paul properly understands the order of priority for his life - in life he is able to serve Christ but in death he gains the promise of eternity with the Christ he knows and loves so deeply. He also writes that he "considers everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord." Few Western Christians show this level of readiness, but instead cling to this world for all that it is worth.

Finally, Paul shares God's promise of peace and contentment that is available through prayer, whatever the circumstances. Interestingly, he begins the letter by sharing his prayer of thanksgiving and closes with the promise of peace through prayer. We can only imagine that Paul spent great amounts of time praying to His Father while behind bars - where else could his immense peace and joy come from?

Philippians is one of my favorite books of the Bible. It is encouraging but it is also convicting. If you're like me, Paul's call to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ brings a bright light into some dark places. Do I give thanks? Am I willing to suffer? Am I serving Christ? Is He my chief pursuit far above all else? Do I have the peace of Christ? Am I content in Him, whatever the circumstances?

The willingness to suffer, serve and pursue God is ultimately found in a faith-filled, dynamic relationship with Him. Few of us would suffer for someone we don't know well or at all. Or serve the man behind a curtain. But when we, like Paul, draw close to the Savior and King we are filled with such love and grace that we want to give all and serve all in our pursuit to glorify Him - whatever happens.

Our New Apartment

Drinking from a firehose - take two

This is the second time I've tried to write down all that swirling within me right now. Class doesn't start until this Wednesday, but I'm already reading a couple of assigned books. And I am overwhelmed with new thoughts and ideas. So instead of trying to assimilate and apply all that I am thinking, here is a sampling of what I am reading:

From John Piper's "Let the Nations be Glad! The Supremacy of God in Missions":

"Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn't."

"Love is helping people toward the greatest beauty and the highest value and the deepest satisfaction and the most lasting joy and the biggest reward and the most wonderful friendship and the most overwhelming worship - love is helping people toward God. We do this by pointing to the greatness of God."

"God has given us prayer because Jesus has given us a mission."

"Persecution can have harmful effects on the church, but prosperity it seems is even more devastating to the mission God calls us to."

"God ordains suffering because . . . it displays to the world the supremacy of His worth above all treasures."

"Worship means cherishing the preciousness of God above all else, including life itself. It will be difficult to bring the nations to love God from a lifestyle that communicates a love of things."

I know little about missions and have never felt the desire to do missionary work. Heather would tell you that I am Mr. Comfort Zone. But these thoughts are penetrating some deep areas in my life. I hope they give you something to think about as we continue on our journey to glorify our risen King.

God With Us

We arrived in Dallas on Friday! We made the 800 mile trip in a 16 fot truck pulling our car. During that time we only passed nine cars! But God really showed His hand during our trip.

When we picked up the moving truck, the young woman ringing us up said she was going to try to get us a discount. Our total was supposed to be almost $1,000 but she only charged us $400. What an amazing way to start the trip!!

When we arrived here, the truck rental people told us that the car carrier was not securely latched to the ball of the truck's hauling unit. This could have resulted in a major accident with the car carrier actually pulling away from the truck. Through 800 miles, speeds averaging 60-70 mph and the bumpy roads we traveled on, it was only God's hand on that car carrier that kept it in place!

To God be all the glory!

When we arrived, we looked at a number of apartments. We found The Village, a neighborhood with fourteen apartment complexes and a country club. We rented a two bedroom/two bathroom apartment with a fireplace. Its great. There is a lake about 2 minutes from our apartment with ducks and other animals. There are jogging trails and it is a very active community! We feel very safe and are close to everything! Come and visit sometime!

We signed the lease on Friday morning and were moved in by Friday at 3:00 pm. Again, God showed Himself strong and met our intense need for a home.

Just one week ago, Heather and I were saying goodbye and setting out on this adventure. It was a time of great excitement and anxiety. But we have experienced God's involvement in the most intimate details of our lives this week and it has deeply moved us. We know that many of you were praying for us as we made this move. Thank you so much. We saw God move with our very own eyes.

Class starts next Monday, Heather starts the job search tomorrow. We miss you. We are praying for you and hope that you will continue praying for us as we continue this journey.

We are so thankful to have seen the goodness of our God in this place!

Guiding Thoughts for 2007

In the last week, the Lord has led me to two ideas that I have been pondering ever since. I believe these two ideas may define this new year as our lives undergo radical transition.

The first comes from the sermon I heard yesterday at the Atlanta Vineyard Church and was quoted by guest speaker Larry Tomczak:

"In one year you will be the same person you are today except for two things: the people you meet and the books you read."

Based on my experience, this is very true to life. And what is so exciting for us is that we are moving to a place where we know very few people so we will be meeting lots of new friends. And I will be reading dozens of new books to expand my understanding of God and ministry. Sounds like a powerful formula for transformation.

The second idea comes from Brother Lawrence, a monk who lived in the 18th century, in a book of his compiled writings called "The Practice of the Presence of God."

"In the spirit-life not to advance is to fall back."

This is a powerful truth that has really helped my crystallize my thoughts on spiritual growth. I have experienced this truth in powerful ways, both for good and bad. As an infant Christian, I took my Bible into church on Sunday and then tossed it in the back seat of the car on way home. It sat there until the next Sunday. There were seasons when going to church was not on my priority list. In those seasons, I did not advance. But I thought deep down that I would remain where I was in my walk with the Lord. But when I returned to our Father's loving arms, I would find that I had fallen back - often almost to the beginning of my walk.

The reason this truth pierced my heart is that I know many people who claim to believe in Christ but do not take those outward actions to worship, serve or spend time with Him. It has always bothered me. I wondered if I was being legalistic, a modern day Pharisee. God's word says He looks inward at man's heart not His outward actions. So I prayed to him early in December and asked why such outward acts were so important to me. Then I read Brother Lawrence's book. And it helped me understand. My fear for those who know Jesus but are not advancing is not that they will lose the promise of Heaven, but that they will miss the rich grace and love found from growing in relationship with our God.

So, its 2007. A new year. A clean slate. My prayer for myself and for those I know and love is that it would be a year of transformation - of new friends and mentors, of books that stretch our understanding of Jesus Christ and our response to His love, and of advancement in our relationship with our Heavenly Father.

May God bless us in this New Year and use us for His purposes.