Wrestling with an Angel

Greg Lucas writes on a blog that I was introduced to today.  Greg has a son, Jake, with severe disabilities and now, after 17 years, Jake is out of the home, receiving greater care as he tries to prepare for independent living.

Greg’s passion for Christ, holiness, and living they atypical American life is convicting.  God has used Jake’s life to push Greg in this direction.

A recent birthday letter to from Greg to Jake especially gripped my heart:

Then, just after your first birthday, you got sick and had to spend a lot of time in the hospital. Your mom and I were young and scared and didn’t know what to do when you stopped breathing and had seizures. We spent that entire year in hospitals and doctors offices trying to figure out what was causing you to be so sick. No one could give us any answers. No one could help you get better. We cried a lot that year. It was one of the most difficult times of my life.

Then, just as we were about to give up, we found someone who could help. He picked us up off the floor of our hopelessness, held us up with His strong arms, wiped away our tears with His gentle hands, and healed your seizures with His mighty power. He changed our lives forever. His name is Jesus, and you know Him well—for it was you that introduced us to Him

Campus Crusade Leadership at UJ

Part 9 in a 10 part series. View series intro and index.

“We are rich. Filthy rich.”

I love Mondays.  You see, I have Mondays off.  So I get to kind of relax as I spend time with the Lord in his word.  There’s (usually) no distractions and no work to go too.  As I sat down on the couch this afternoon, I looked around our apartment and said, “Lord, you have given us so much stuff.  We aren’t poor.”

Carly and I both have average-paying jobs — and I work part-time at our local French retailer, Target — but we have more than, not just the average person in the world, but probably the average American. We are truly “blessed.” I was truly humbled as I sat there and stared at all this stuff in our living room.  I said, “Lord, I praise you that we can afford to have the lights on.”  You know what else is humbling? I get two days a week off. Most people get one. Some people don’t get any.

After reading the Scriptures, I read chapter 5 in Francis Chan’s book Crazy Love.  He wrote about the exact thing I was meditating on. Francis writes:

Which is more messed up — that we have so much compared to everyone else, or that we don’t think we’re rich? That on any given day we might flippantly call ourselves “broke” or “poor”? We are neither of those things. We are rich. Filthy rich.

Francis goes on to talk about how this hurts us spiritually:

The reality is that, whether we acknowledge our wealth or not, being rich is a serious disadvantage spiritually. As William Wilberforce once said, “Prosperity hardens the heart.”

Understanding that we aren’t poor, but rich — filthy rich — starts in the heart. Do I want to prosper materially or spiritually? What do I really want? Of course I need to eat and sleep and wear clothes. I need a car and I need to put gas in it. God understands this. But where is my hope and energy and adoration going? I pray that everyday it goes to God, not because he gives stuff, but because he is the only thing that will give me satisfaction.

Prosperity hardens our hearts because it causes us to depend on our money and stuff and not God. If we daily lack food and clothes and shelter, we will be on our knees begging God for help. I don’t need to do that. But I want to be on my knees thanking God for what he has given and begging him for his mercy because all I deserve is hell and damnation.  When that sobering truth is on your mind, you will never say, “I’m poor.”

Why is local church membership important?

Church membership is something that the local church — particularly my generation — has black-eyed.  It’s too structured and too old school.  It’s not cool.  It’s just a way for the church to have a hand in your pocketbook.

I couldn’t disagree more. Carly and I recently went through our church membership class.  We connected with our lead pastor and were able to align ourselves with the mission and vision of our church.  That is significant, but more than that, I think membership in a local congregation is important; and I think there are texts in the New Testament that infer something like the contemporary version of what we know as church membership.

It’s important for a couple reasons — off the top of my head.  First, for the lead elder/pastor to know who he is accountable for before God (see 1 Peter 5 and Hebrews 13 for examples).  Second, in order for church discipline to be handled correctly, there must be an identifiable group of people who are members, who can vote on such issues. After all, how can a man be kicked out of church if there is no membership (see 1 Corinthians 5 for example).

Lord willing, expect more on this later.

Here are John Piper’s thoughts on the subject.

Soccer is for wimps…try rugby.

Sorry I’ve been silent for a while.  In honor of the World Cup that starts June 11, I thought this would be a fitting video — or maybe not so fitting?

HT: Abraham Piper

Meet Norm, The Melodramatic Montrealer Ump

My Favorite Theologian

Here are some great thoughts from my wife on lukewarmness and repentance.

And since you asked, you can now get direct links to her latest blog posts on the right hand sidebar under “My Wife’s Blog.”