I just sat down on my bed, having just gone in and given my son a last kiss, making sure he was covered up well. He’s sound asleep, he has no idea I was there. I love seeing him sleep, I’ve said it many times, but that little dude sleeps so peacefully, and with a look of pure contentment in his face. He actually has a slight smile while he snoozes. It’s truly incredible.
His bedtime tonight was not so peaceful and content, in fact it was tearful. We had a guy’s night tonight. It’s something that has become a thing in our time here in Seattle. He actually initiated it, because whose (then 5 year old) son doesn’t start inviting grown ups to come over to his house for his 6th birthday? Then, after watching the LEGO Movie with his new, adult friends, finds out that none of these guys has seen the LEGO Batman movie... but that's the heart of this little man, and it’s incredible. He organized our first guy’s night. Tonight, was our last here in Seattle.
My, now 7 year old, invited over his best friends (guy’s aging from mid-20s to kid-50s) to watch LEGO Justice League be Bizzaro League, eat burgers, play Sonic Mania, and hang out. The men who show up to these are equally amazing, investing their time and love into my son, listening to him talk about super heroes and his video games. We hang out, until it’s time for him to go to bed, then we watch a guy movie, and just enjoy being together.
Tonight at bedtime, we had a tough time, as we both realized this would be our last such night like this with these men. We shared several hugs and some tears, and he went to bed. I was worried about him, but now, as he’s sleeping, there’s that slight smirk on his face, contentment and peace.
Looking back on our time here, and what it has meant to our family, and how God has used this little man as the catalyst to connect these guys together has been truly remarkable. I can’t wait to see how this continues to happen in the future.
Friday, July 12, 2019
Tuesday, June 18, 2019
Walking in rest
If the words of the Bible are to be believed to be true, trusted to have the authority they claim, and is to stand as the only rule of faith and practice for the believer, then we must be willing to see and accept that the words Jesus spoke are in keeping with these characteristics. We must read the words and claims spoken of by this man and see him claiming to be God incarnate, the promised Messiah, the fulfillment of all the Old Testament prophecy.
If Jesus is not who he claimed to be in the recorded accounts of his life, if he is not the only Savior of the True Israel of God, if he is not the Good Shepherd, the new and better Adam, then all we do as Christians is in vain, we stand without reason of hope. If we live our life according to a lie, a hoax, a manipulation, then we stand to be mocked, pitied, reviled, and rejected.
But, if Jesus is who he says he is, then Jesus is in fact God.
And if God, then Jehovah; if God, then Lord; if God, then Master. If this man is God, then everything in our world must be seen through the lens of what has been revealed to us by his Word. And in this word, we find a man, a seemingly normal man, making outlandish claims. This man claims to have the authority to forgive sin, he claims to be the Lord of the Sabbath, he claims that no one can come to God unless they go through him. This man claims that he and the Father are one, that he is the eternal bread from Heaven. He even proclaims that he can prove it, that if the authorities of the day will crush him, destroy his flesh, wring out every last drop of his life upon the cross, that he will rebuild it in 3 days. He claims that he has the power over sin and death, and his is the will of the Father. He claims that through this tortuous death, and through his promised resurrection that the True Israel will be saved. He claims that before time, the Father gave him a people for his own, and that all of those whom the Father had given him he would lose none, that he would raise them up with himself on the last day. But that first, he must die, first he must be laid in the grave, first he must defeat sin and death.
And so they killed him, they laid him in the grave, but the story goes on. The empty tomb three days later is the pinnacle, the turning point of the history of humanity. What we believe about what best explains the empty tomb should direct our every step on this side of history.
For the Christian, the empty tomb is there because Jesus is exactly who he claimed to be. The resurrection of Jesus fulfills the promised joy and peace found in the Old Testament prophets to the people of God. For those of us who live on this side of the resurrection, we look back and see the perfect completion of the words of God to Abraham, Moses, David, and the prophets. We see confirmation of the promises of Isaiah, we see hope.
From the vantage point of the Resurrection, Scripture stands as truth, the culmination of the Old Testament promises, and the affirmation of New Testament authority. It is only by the resurrection that the words of Scripture are able to breath into the life of its reader anything but despair. There is no hope to be found in the Bible without the reconciliation purchased by Christ. But through the power of the risen King, we see the path of Scripture illuminated, we see the only hope of joy in this life being found as the promised Messiah calls to his sheep. Sheep hear the voice of their shepherd and they come, knowing that protection, care, and love are found in the presence of Him who gives his life to them. For the Christian, the only source of the everlasting joy that is our soul's deepest longing is being in the presence of God. It is only by the light of the glory of God that we can persevere in this life to seek peace and joy. It is our heart's longing desire to seek and find the presence of the Lord, and once tasted of, it becomes our joy to continuously press on into the presence of God that we would find in Him life abundant and pleasures that are but foretastes of the beauty to come.
So, we set before us the counsel of the Lord, trusting that our regenerate heart of flesh was rightly inscribed with the statutes of our loving Shepherd, we trust that the Spirit of God has firmly planted us upon the path of life and truth in this world, called to good works, called to the proclamation of these truths to the nations.
And we walk.
We walk in assurance of the deep knowledge and trust that these things are true. The Spirit testifies to our spirit that these things be true. And we dwell securely in our tattered flesh, knowing that our God has never abandoned nor forsaken his True Israel, that he will not allow his chosen to see eternal corruption. Walking sure that our Savior defeated death and sin, that he cannot fail, so neither then shall we.
We walk, not as toil, but as rest. Rest that our path is the narrow way of life, on this path there is fullness of joy, at the right hand of God, there are pleasures forevermore. We walk in delighted rest. And we call out to others along the way, "come, all you who are weary and heavy laden."
If Jesus is not who he claimed to be in the recorded accounts of his life, if he is not the only Savior of the True Israel of God, if he is not the Good Shepherd, the new and better Adam, then all we do as Christians is in vain, we stand without reason of hope. If we live our life according to a lie, a hoax, a manipulation, then we stand to be mocked, pitied, reviled, and rejected.
But, if Jesus is who he says he is, then Jesus is in fact God.
And if God, then Jehovah; if God, then Lord; if God, then Master. If this man is God, then everything in our world must be seen through the lens of what has been revealed to us by his Word. And in this word, we find a man, a seemingly normal man, making outlandish claims. This man claims to have the authority to forgive sin, he claims to be the Lord of the Sabbath, he claims that no one can come to God unless they go through him. This man claims that he and the Father are one, that he is the eternal bread from Heaven. He even proclaims that he can prove it, that if the authorities of the day will crush him, destroy his flesh, wring out every last drop of his life upon the cross, that he will rebuild it in 3 days. He claims that he has the power over sin and death, and his is the will of the Father. He claims that through this tortuous death, and through his promised resurrection that the True Israel will be saved. He claims that before time, the Father gave him a people for his own, and that all of those whom the Father had given him he would lose none, that he would raise them up with himself on the last day. But that first, he must die, first he must be laid in the grave, first he must defeat sin and death.
And so they killed him, they laid him in the grave, but the story goes on. The empty tomb three days later is the pinnacle, the turning point of the history of humanity. What we believe about what best explains the empty tomb should direct our every step on this side of history.
For the Christian, the empty tomb is there because Jesus is exactly who he claimed to be. The resurrection of Jesus fulfills the promised joy and peace found in the Old Testament prophets to the people of God. For those of us who live on this side of the resurrection, we look back and see the perfect completion of the words of God to Abraham, Moses, David, and the prophets. We see confirmation of the promises of Isaiah, we see hope.
From the vantage point of the Resurrection, Scripture stands as truth, the culmination of the Old Testament promises, and the affirmation of New Testament authority. It is only by the resurrection that the words of Scripture are able to breath into the life of its reader anything but despair. There is no hope to be found in the Bible without the reconciliation purchased by Christ. But through the power of the risen King, we see the path of Scripture illuminated, we see the only hope of joy in this life being found as the promised Messiah calls to his sheep. Sheep hear the voice of their shepherd and they come, knowing that protection, care, and love are found in the presence of Him who gives his life to them. For the Christian, the only source of the everlasting joy that is our soul's deepest longing is being in the presence of God. It is only by the light of the glory of God that we can persevere in this life to seek peace and joy. It is our heart's longing desire to seek and find the presence of the Lord, and once tasted of, it becomes our joy to continuously press on into the presence of God that we would find in Him life abundant and pleasures that are but foretastes of the beauty to come.
So, we set before us the counsel of the Lord, trusting that our regenerate heart of flesh was rightly inscribed with the statutes of our loving Shepherd, we trust that the Spirit of God has firmly planted us upon the path of life and truth in this world, called to good works, called to the proclamation of these truths to the nations.
And we walk.
We walk in assurance of the deep knowledge and trust that these things are true. The Spirit testifies to our spirit that these things be true. And we dwell securely in our tattered flesh, knowing that our God has never abandoned nor forsaken his True Israel, that he will not allow his chosen to see eternal corruption. Walking sure that our Savior defeated death and sin, that he cannot fail, so neither then shall we.
We walk, not as toil, but as rest. Rest that our path is the narrow way of life, on this path there is fullness of joy, at the right hand of God, there are pleasures forevermore. We walk in delighted rest. And we call out to others along the way, "come, all you who are weary and heavy laden."
Tuesday, April 2, 2019
Seeking joy
I am, by nature, a fairly private person. Especially in respect to current and active happenings in my life. I have no problem sharing about past struggles, and sharing how God has been with me through those struggles, and relating those experiences to others in an attempt to encourage, or to promote openness and vulnerability within a group. Most people who know me have a solid understanding of past struggles in my life, but only a select few know about the inner struggles that are actively raging in my life.
I'm not going to suddenly change this quirk and become someone whose emotions are worn on my sleeve. But I am going to say this: its been a really rough few months in my life. Over the past few days, thanks in large part to honest, hard, cutting conversations, and a phenomenal wife who speaks Biblical truth into my heart, there has been a definite shift over the last few days.
Among the wisdom that has allowed some small steps forward this week has been an application of Paul's advice in Philippians 4:8-9:
"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me -- practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you."
So, if you are reading this, and you are struggling, let me stand beside you today and speak these words to you too. Each and every day, even among the fingerlings of darkness that work throughout life, there are moments, times, and happenings each day that can fit into these categories from Paul. Those things have to be sought out, it must be an intentional part of your day, you must engage the glory in each day. It is an experiential truth, as well as revealed truth in the Word that when we seek the things of God in every day that God will be there with us.
Find people in your life who love you enough to speak hard, true, and soul-satisfying words into your life.
I'm not going to suddenly change this quirk and become someone whose emotions are worn on my sleeve. But I am going to say this: its been a really rough few months in my life. Over the past few days, thanks in large part to honest, hard, cutting conversations, and a phenomenal wife who speaks Biblical truth into my heart, there has been a definite shift over the last few days.
Among the wisdom that has allowed some small steps forward this week has been an application of Paul's advice in Philippians 4:8-9:
"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me -- practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you."
So, if you are reading this, and you are struggling, let me stand beside you today and speak these words to you too. Each and every day, even among the fingerlings of darkness that work throughout life, there are moments, times, and happenings each day that can fit into these categories from Paul. Those things have to be sought out, it must be an intentional part of your day, you must engage the glory in each day. It is an experiential truth, as well as revealed truth in the Word that when we seek the things of God in every day that God will be there with us.
Find people in your life who love you enough to speak hard, true, and soul-satisfying words into your life.
Thursday, March 21, 2019
People sometimes mean us harm... what then?
Over the last couple of days, I have been reading through the introduction to Paul's letter to the Philippian church, and Paul has an astounding bit of teaching on the reality of preaching the Gospel from different hearts, for different purposes, and what it ultimately means for the Christian.
Paul speaks about the growing confidence of those who proclaim Christ, and that this confidence has grown out of Paul's imprisonment for the Gospel. He exhorts these brothers that they would grow in boldness and to speak the word without fear. But Paul also recognizes that not all those who are energized with this newfound zeal for Christ are preaching and sharing truth from a heart of love and good will, but rather with a spirit of envy and rivalry, that these are speaking more boldly in an attempt to increase the affliction of Paul's imprisonment. So, some are speaking truth with the intention of fulfilling the commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves, to be peacemakers, to be labors in the field ready for harvest. Others are speaking from a heart that says that maybe if they speak boldly, if they proclaim this stumbling block of the cross, perhaps they will rise above Paul's status, be seen as the next great man of God.
Our initial response to this is that one of these groups is right, one is bringing glory to God, while this other group is clearly wrong and working outside the will of God. But Paul, the Apostle and upholder of God's sovereignty in all things... whether we see them as good or bad... reveals an astonishing truth:
"What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." (Philippians 1:19-21)
Paul says that it is not the intention at the heart of man that will determine his life. It is not a matter of who preaches, or the intention of why they are preaching, but it is the truth of Christ that they are preaching that truly matters. Paul knows that freedom in Christ is this, that in the life of the Christian there is never one thing that occurs that is not intended for the everlasting good, joy, and peace of the Christian. That God works all things together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28) And Paul recognizes that the eternal good to which God is working all things for His children is bringing forward the image of Christlikeness in us. God will use all things, all schemes of man, all kindness, all heart-wrought desires (good and bad) that lie in the intentions of man, all things to sanctify His sheep. Paul doesn't simply settle for mental ascent to this reality, but he rejoices in it as truth. He hears what is being said, and he understands the intentions at hand, but he does not worry, he does not get angry, he does not desire vengeance, he rejoices in the surpassing knowledge and understanding that he belongs to God. In this, though he be slayed, not a hair on his head can be harmed.
We spend entirely too much time worrying about what other people are saying, how other people are living, and what other people's intentions and desires are. We are called to speak truth in love, and to trust in faith that our ultimate good and God's ultimate purpose will always prevail, whether in life or in death.
Paul speaks about the growing confidence of those who proclaim Christ, and that this confidence has grown out of Paul's imprisonment for the Gospel. He exhorts these brothers that they would grow in boldness and to speak the word without fear. But Paul also recognizes that not all those who are energized with this newfound zeal for Christ are preaching and sharing truth from a heart of love and good will, but rather with a spirit of envy and rivalry, that these are speaking more boldly in an attempt to increase the affliction of Paul's imprisonment. So, some are speaking truth with the intention of fulfilling the commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves, to be peacemakers, to be labors in the field ready for harvest. Others are speaking from a heart that says that maybe if they speak boldly, if they proclaim this stumbling block of the cross, perhaps they will rise above Paul's status, be seen as the next great man of God.
Our initial response to this is that one of these groups is right, one is bringing glory to God, while this other group is clearly wrong and working outside the will of God. But Paul, the Apostle and upholder of God's sovereignty in all things... whether we see them as good or bad... reveals an astonishing truth:
"What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." (Philippians 1:19-21)
Paul says that it is not the intention at the heart of man that will determine his life. It is not a matter of who preaches, or the intention of why they are preaching, but it is the truth of Christ that they are preaching that truly matters. Paul knows that freedom in Christ is this, that in the life of the Christian there is never one thing that occurs that is not intended for the everlasting good, joy, and peace of the Christian. That God works all things together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28) And Paul recognizes that the eternal good to which God is working all things for His children is bringing forward the image of Christlikeness in us. God will use all things, all schemes of man, all kindness, all heart-wrought desires (good and bad) that lie in the intentions of man, all things to sanctify His sheep. Paul doesn't simply settle for mental ascent to this reality, but he rejoices in it as truth. He hears what is being said, and he understands the intentions at hand, but he does not worry, he does not get angry, he does not desire vengeance, he rejoices in the surpassing knowledge and understanding that he belongs to God. In this, though he be slayed, not a hair on his head can be harmed.
We spend entirely too much time worrying about what other people are saying, how other people are living, and what other people's intentions and desires are. We are called to speak truth in love, and to trust in faith that our ultimate good and God's ultimate purpose will always prevail, whether in life or in death.
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