We have all felt the longing. There is an ache in all of our hearts that tells us there must be something more. We look at the world around us and the headlines that sadden or angers us, and it makes us think “there is no way it is supposed to be this way.”

Have you ever considered how the hope of heaven can ground us right now in our Christian life? Matthew McCullough’s book Remember Heaven helps us not simply long for the future, but it shows how looking to heaven today changes everything for this present moment. If you are interested, he also wrote Remembering Death, and Pastor Adam Wheaton wrote a review for it.

If you’re looking for a book that gently lifts your eyes from the heaviness of this world to the hope that awaits us, I’d encourage you to pick up Remember Heaven. It is a rich, comforting reminder that heaven is not only our future home but a present source of strength in this life. This is a book worth reading slowly, prayerfully, and with an open heart. Just to give you a little taste of what McCullough beautifully writes about, let me share a few things that encouraged me.

Heaven reframes our dissatisfaction.

McCullough begins by showing how the hope of heaven reframes our dissatisfaction in the meantime. Our society constantly tells us what we lack. “You don’t have _____”; so we begin to chase the next best thing only to find that it will still does not satisfy us. He writes, “Our relentless dissatisfaction is a lingering sign of our capacity to be truly satisfied” (25). In heaven, every good gift will finally be experienced as it should be; as fully, wonderfully, and perfectly because of God’s presence, where joy is whole and satisfaction is complete.

Looking at Psalm 16, McCullough notes that David’s joy comes from the fullness of joy David expects to experience later. So, we begin remembering heaven not by asking, “Is this all there will be?” but by confidently saying,  “I cannot wait to see what God has next.” God gives us good gifts now, but His fully everlasting presence is still ahead of us, so let us set our minds on that.

Heaven strengthens our fight for holiness.

The chapter called “Bound for Perfect Holiness: How the Hope of Heaven Empowers Our Battle with Sin in the Meantime,” is the chapter that gripped my heart the most. By the grace of God, as we grow in holiness, we also grow more sick of sin and hate the past and present sin in our lives. Scripture now calls us Saints (Ephesians 1:1), yet we still wrestle with our flesh, and we still give into sin. Maybe you often feel tired in this fight. You want to change, but fall again and again. I want you to take heart, to meditate when you step into the presence of the Holy God, you will become perfectly holy as He is holy (1 John 3:2-3). Thinking of heaven now purifies us while we wait.

This fight is not easy. Perfection isn’t attainable in this life We will not become sinless in these bodies, but by Christ’s power and by the hope of heaven we can learn to sin less.

How do we fight?

First, “Focus your mind on the one whose beauty will make you beautiful” (66).
Look upon God’s holiness. Let the anticipation of the great day when you will see Him face to face draw you toward purity.

Second, remember that you need more than resolve—you need love.
You need love for Him and to remember the love He has for you. McCullough writes, “We can’t be casual about sin if we’re clear on what our sin cost our Savior. We won’t be casual about holiness if we see how important it is to the one who loves us so well” (69)
Brothers and sisters, this fight will last our whole life until He calls us home.  But take courage, your holiness is God’s personal project. Let the hope of heaven remind you that holiness is worth it because He will one day make you new.

Thinking of heaven gives suffering meaning.

McCullough reminds us that looking towards heaven makes our suffering meaningful now. Suffering is part of the path we walk on, on our way home. We won’t all experience the same type of suffering, but none is wasted. As he beautifully puts it:  “God keeps us weak to give us the joy of trusting in Him and not ourselves… Our weakness is His strategy” (96). Our weakness deepens our thirst for heaven. Some suffering may cost us dearly, but Scripture promises an eternal weight of glory that will be revealed to us (2 Cor 4:16-18). This should not minimize the heaviness of what you may be suffering right now. But let it lift your eyes to a horizon where every wrong will be made right and every tear wiped away.

Let heaven shape your heart today.

Heaven is not only your future home, it is your present anchor. Set your mind on things above, let heaven steady your steps, soften your sorrows, and strengthen your fight for holiness.

May the hope of heaven remind you, this world is not your final home. Let thoughts of your true everlasting home, where joy is full, holiness is whole, and suffering is healed; let these thoughts reshape the way you think and walk even today.

Sacrament or Ordinance?

Should we use the word “sacrament” or the word “ordinance”? Can we use them interchangeably? As people shaped by the Reformation, it’s worth asking why we might consider using both.

When we think about the words sacrament and ordinance, we don’t need to view them as in opposition terms. Rather, they are complementary. Both of these words are seeking to describe the same God-given realities, though they do so with different emphases. The issue here is not the mere vocabulary we choose, but to know the meaning behind the words. To appreciate why both are valuable, we need to take a closer look at how each term has been understood.

Defining the Terms

Sacraments according to the Westminster Confession of Faith are “holy signs and seals of the covenant of grace, immediately instituted by God to represent Christ, and His benefits; and to confirm our interest in Him.” Ordinances according to Augustus H. Strong are “the outward rites which Christ has appointed to be administrated in His church as visible signs of the saving truth of the gospel.” The word rite here refers to a symbol employed with regularity and sacred intent, marking an act that is both meaningful and set apart.

In light of this, these terms have strengths and weaknesses; if we use only one, we could be at risk of misunderstanding the richness of what Christ has given His church. Rather than choosing one term over the other, we should be able to use both freely and boldly.

Why Some Hesitate

Before I explain why I think we should embrace both terms, it’s helpful to understand why some hesitate to use them. Some might squirm when we hear the word “sacrament”. For some, it carries a lot of baggage especially because of its connection with the Roman Catholic Church, which recognizes seven sacraments. Understandably, Protestants have reacted to that by being cautious, and even suspicious of the term.

On the other hand, when we use the word “ordinance” though it is accurate in highlighting that these practices were ordained by Christ Himself it can sometimes feel too bare. The risk is that the ordinances might be reduced to nothing more than rituals we perform, or memorials we simply remember, without sensing the rich spiritual depth and grace that God has attached to them.

If we are clear in our understanding of what baptism and the Lord’s Supper are, and what God intends them to signify, then whether we call them sacraments or ordinances should not divide us. To quarrel endlessly over terminology is to fall into what the Bible warns against “logomachy,” fighting about mere words (1 Timothy 6:4; 2 Timothy 2:14). Such disputes distract from the substance of the gospel and the grace signified in these practices. As Paul himself said when the Jews pressed him into a word-debate, “I was unwilling to be a judge of such matters” (Acts 18:15). Instead of trying to win the debate, we should labor to receive the gift that Baptism and the Lord’s Table are to Christ’s church. Let these signs deepen the fellowship and unity we have with one another. What unites us is far greater than what divides us our one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, and one God and Father of all.

The Two Sacraments/Ordinances

With those concerns in mind, it’s good to remember what exactly Christ has given us. Scripture shows that as Protestants with humble confidence we affirm there are only two sacraments/ordinances: Baptism (Matthew 28:19) and the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:23–26). In these sacraments or ordinances, we are spiritually nourished and refreshed by the gospel as we come to the waters of baptism and the table of Christ in faith. These alone were instituted by Jesus, given to the whole church, and commanded for ongoing practice until He returns (1 Corinthians 11:26). Baptism marks our entrance into the visible church, displaying our union with Christ’s death and resurrection, and proclaiming that we have died to sin and are alive to righteousness (Romans 6:3–4). The Lord’s Supper sustains us along the way as we remember and proclaim His death, examine our hearts, and partake by faith in real spiritual communion with the risen Christ until He comes again (1 Corinthians 10:16–17; 11:27–29).

Holding Both Terms Together

So together, the terms sacrament and ordinance paint a beautiful picture. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are both divine gifts to Christ’s church and holy commands. They are not empty rituals or magical ceremonies but God’s gracious provisions that invite our faithful response. These sacraments/ordinances do not present themselves as sources of salvation; rather, they continually point us back to the Source of our salvation, Jesus Christ who bore our sins in His body on the cross. By embracing both terms, we hold in tension the beautiful reality of the Christian life: God acts first, and our obedience follows not to earn His favor, but to partake in it.

Justin Whitmel Earley is no Olympic athlete (that I know of). He’s an attorney, a husband, a dad, an author and most importantly, a Christian. His winsome tone and similarly smelling feet of clay (like ours) makes his book The Common Rule a helpful and hopeful resource on the formation of lasting habits. He really hasn’t invented anything new, but what he has done is dust off some ancient practices and principles and put some contemporary clothes on them. This makes his suggestions within reach. The core of the book focuses on four daily habits to cultivate as well as four weekly ones. Read the introductory post on The Common Rule here.
Here, we'll reflect on developing four daily habits.

"The world is made of words. Even small, repeated words have power. Regular, carefully placed prayer is one of the keystone habits of spiritual formation and is the beginning of building the trellis of habit. By framing our day in the words of prayer, we frame the day in love."

This is what Earley calls a "keystone" habit. Like the first domino in a line.
And it starts with your thoughts. Do you want to frame your day in love or legalism (p. 33)? So, the author suggests that we trick our minds and bodies in three steps:

• Set your phone automatically on Do Not Disturb (or throw it across the room; not angrily, of course).
• Kneel. The point here is to engage as much of your body as possible. It is to humble yourself. Sometimes, I've fallen asleep or my mind has wandered in this position. Yet, the spirit of the suggestion to kneel is to bow heart and mind before God. 
• Now, you pray. And he says it is often quite short. In doing so, "we recover two uses of prayer, naming true realities and creating true realities." These could be prayers that you write. Or prayers that are launched from your Bible reading. It could come from a book of prayers like the Anglican Book of Common Prayer or the Valley of Vision. Many hymnals, even, will have suggested prayers sprinkled throughout. 
  • Midday prayer is about "reframing work in love.... my short prayers for midday often have to do with a confession that I've made my work about me. Then, hoping to rewire that impulse, I pray for a client or a coworker" (p. 41).
  • Evening prayer is about "framing the evening in love.... We haven't spent the day so much as the day has spent us.... [and] No one can sleep while believing that she needs to keep the world spinning.... Say your prayers until your prayers say you" (p. 43). 

"We were made to eat, so the table must be our center of gravity. The habit of making time for one communal meal each day forces us to reorient our schedules and our space around food and each other. The more the table becomes our center of gravity, the more it draws our neighbors into gospel community."
Earley promotes the counter-cultural nature of eating with others. This, by the way, is why the TV show Blue Bloods has been one of my favorites for a long time. It's not the drama on the streets of New York but more so the banter (and drama) around the Reagan family dinner. There's never been an episode without the dinner table.
Being the communal beings that we are, some of the things that you are forced to consider in molding yourself into this habit are:

• The need to eat reveals our dependence on God.
• The need to eat reveals our dependence on each other. 
• The need to eat reveals our dependence on creation. "Every single bite" reminds us that "something died to give you life" (p. 50).
• The table is the center of gravity for loving neighbor. "In a secular age, eating may be our best chance for evangelism" (p. 58). 

Consider these ideas to get started. A) Do something to your table that sets the tone or mood. That could be simply cleaning it, laying out certain placemats or even a candle. B) Have a question or two that involves everyone at the table. C) Make a routine that gets people to your table or you in front of your neighbors. Porches and front lawns are good for this. A predictable menu on the same day of the week that's simple enough to invite strangers to. 

"We were made for presence, but so often our phones are the cause of our absence. To be two places at a time is to be no place at all. Turning off our phones for an hour a day is a way to turn our gaze up to each other, whether that be children, co-workers, friends, or neighbors. Our habits of attention are habits of love. To resist absence is to love neighbor."

Similar practices are getting plenty of attention these days. Just consider how often you have deleted a social media app. But instead of deleting the apps, why not just sideline the whole device? Set an hour each day when you will deliberately walk away from your phone. Andy Crouch and his family, I think, lock up their devices during the dinner hour. Don't be the family that has the TV running in the background all the time or ignores each other because of something more interesting on your phone. Blaise Pascal once said: "All of man's problems stem from his inability to sit quietly in a room alone." Maybe overstated, but the effect is legit. Maybe what you need is a good old-fashioned alarm clock. Or landline. Or some other hack that allows you more time to really think and to enjoy others.

"Refusing to check the phone until after reading a passage of Scripture is a way of replacing the question 'What do I need to do today?' with a better one, 'Who am I and who am I becoming?' We have no stable identity outside of Jesus. Daily immersion in the Scriptures resists the anxiety of emails, the anger of news, and the envy of social media. Instead, it forms us daily in our true identity as children of the king, dearly loved."

Here you are trying to deny the impulse of reaching for your device before time in the Word. Earley says: "A restless thumb often correlates to the restless heart."  And although there's nothing wrong with reading the Bible on an electronic device, reading the Bible with an actual physical Bible with your phone out of reach will help discipline you.

Here are some pointers that though uncomfortable at first, Earley says will help clear the field for you to more successfully read the Bible with less distractions.

• Treat social media like the rhythms of going to and coming home from work.
• Avoid unplanned scrolling. Boy, am I guilty of this with my new WaPo news app.
• Turn off notifications. Hearing and/or responding to a notification will only increase anxiety and fragment your attention.
• Don't use social media in bed. 

A lot of the author's concern is about social media. However, he says, "daily immersion in the Scriptures resists the anxiety of emails, the anger of news, and the envy of social media" (p. 92).

Those are the four daily habits. Next, we will take up his four weekly habits. Stay tuned!

Chances are you have been stuck. If you aren’t now, you will be. And that state of stuckness can pervade almost every vocation of our lives. Enter The Common Rule.
This is the beginning of a series about wrestling with life’s distractions by considering habit formation. It’s about how habits can help free us from some of the logjams we get ourselves into. Justin W. Earley’s book The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose for an Age of Distraction will be our conversation partner.

Earley is an attorney by day from Richmond, VA and an author/speaker on the side. I think he’s an Anglican Christian. At the time of this writing, he’s in his mid-30s and in the thick of raising a family. He doesn’t write as one who has arrived but has stumbled upon a way (what he calls a "rule") to harness the distractions that seem to define the age we live in.

He leads off with a chapter called "Discovering the Freedom of Limitations." With a relatable and storied style, Earley pulls us in to a topic that though growing in the popular self-help section of bookstores makes it sound like he’s not inventing something new but dusting off and repackaging old truths. Habits, he says, "are the water we swim in," and they are "liturgies" that shape us. With a simple table, he compares how common bad habits are driven by an underlying "liturgy of wrong belief" (p. 10). He brilliantly traces the symptoms of our rat race back to Eden pointing out that "in trying to free ourselves from our limitations, we brought the ultimate limitation of death into the world. But Christ turned this paradigm on its head…. We, for our own sake, tried to become limitless, and the world was ruined. Jesus, for our sake, became limited and the world was saved" (p. 13).

Jesus leads us to the good life, ultimately. Here, the author lights a burning question: "But what if the good life doesn’t come from having the ability to do what we want but from having the ability to do what we were made for? What if true freedom comes from choosing the right limitations, not avoiding all limitations?"

Earley’s goal? "We desperately need a set of counter-formative practices to become the lovers of God and neighbor we were created to be." With incisive humility and tender boldness, he exposes our cultural starvation as a lack of love. So, he says: "Let us build a trellis for love to grow on" (17).

"A 'rule' is a set of habits you commit to in order to grow in your love of God and neighbor." Earley claims that what he’s writing about isn’t really anything new: "For thousands of years, spiritual communities have been using the frame of the rule of life as a mechanism for communal formation" (14).
"As the /title of the book/ suggests, the Common Rule is meant to establish communal—not individual—rhythms" (21).
Knowing how intimidating it is to turn over a new leaf, the author assures the new rhythms will "lighten your load." And he suggests some on-ramps by trying the Common Rule either for a month, a week or a season and maybe one or two of the (8) habits. This is wise. You can go straight to the "Resources" section in the back of The Common Rule to get his own abridged version of the book.

In the coming posts, I’ll tease out more of the pith of Earley’s framework for habit formation. But to satisfy some curiosity to keep you coming back, I’ll end by listing out the Four Daily Habits and the Four Weekly Habits he will develop throughout the book.

1. One hour of conversation with a friend
2. Curate media to four hours
3. Fast from something for twenty-four hours
4. Sabbath

Surprising? Probably not. Challenging? For sure. Impossible? Not at all.
Read, Common Rule, Part 2 here.

Those of us in our early earning years must ask ourselves how much of our income is being spent unnecessarily. Biblical giving is sacrificial giving and will result in there being “things we should like to do and cannot do because our charitable expenditure excludes them.” How many times a week do you eat out? How often do you buy coffee? What entertainment platforms are you paying for? These questions and more show us where spending could be reduced and consequently how we can give generously. A practical method to analyze your spending habits is to budget. Although it will take a bit of work and time, budgeting using one of the many available mediums will be beneficial as you look to give toward the only everlasting kingdom.

___________________________________________________________________


In the previous post, we discussed how a lack of income during the college years could keep individuals from experiencing the joy of giving. This post will continue by outlining another obstacle students face in the realm of financial stewardship.

Obstacle 2: “I will only be a member here for a few years so I will wait to give until I find my permanent church.”

It is true that most students who are regularly attending or are members of a church while in school will relocate once their degree has finished. But this temporary reality should not hinder our giving. In 2 Cor. 8-9, Paul uses the churches in Macedonia as an example to encourage the church in Corinth to give financially to the afflicted church in Jerusalem. These Macedonian churches are characterized in two ways that would seem contradictory to the modern mind: having an abundance of joy and being in extreme poverty. In this extreme poverty, the churches were willing to give to the collection for those brothers and sisters in the Jerusalem church whom they most likely had never met. Brothers and sisters that were ministered to in distinct local churches. They gave to churches that would not affect the personal ministry they were experiencing, and they did it with abundant joy.
This case demonstrates that our generosity should not be dependent upon how much a particular church or ministry specifically affects us. Just like the Macedonians, if a church is founded upon the gospel and is healthy according to the Bible’s standards, we should experience joy in partnering with it in the mission of the gospel! Therefore, college students, find joy and be generous to the current church you are attending. Though you may not feel the effect of your giving, you can be assured that the funds will be used to promote gospel ministries.

Many times, I have heard the following remark from fellow students: “I wish I was more connected to my church.” An antidote for this feeling of disconnection is through the habit of consistent financial giving. Your money is a compass needle pointing to the desires of your heart. Giving to your church will only increase your heart for it. Your interactions with the church body will change. Your passion for the ministries of the church will change. Instead of being a mere spectator, giving provides the spark to spur you on to seek greater connection within your local body.
 
I hope that these brief posts will cause any young adult members of local churches to “spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” Let’s change the “hush-hush” stigma of financial stewardship into a topic that is talked about openly in the church. Ask members of your church how they are doing in making Christ the Lord of their wallets. College students, why wouldn’t you want to experience the joy of giving? Get in the game and experience the thrill of having a share in the kingdom of God!

Credits:
C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (rev. ed; New York: Harper-Collins, 2001 [orig. 1952]). 86.
Some of the apps and websites available include Every Dollar: Budget Tracker, Zeta, and Empower Personal Dashboard.

Being a college student is a unique period of life. You are independent but not fully “on
your own.” You work hard but do not have a full-time job. You have community but also know goodbyes are on the horizon. This unique season results in obstacles that can keep college students from experiencing the joy of giving financially to primarily their church and secondarily the ministries that are blessing others around the world. This brief article will explore two common excuses I have told myself and which I’ve heard other students vocalize that the devil, the world, and our sin natures are using to steal away the joy found within giving. I don’t pretend to have all the answers; nor am I claiming to have already achieved the ideal giving lifestyle. However, the Lord has softened my heart in this area, and I pray that He might use my words, which are indebted to His Word, to soften yours as well. If you are not a college student, you will find that these obstacles may resonate with your current stage of life as well.

Obstacle 1: “I am in debt and currently don’t have a lot of money so it wouldn’t be wise for me to give right now.”

Part of financial stewardship is being responsible enough to pay off debt and student
loans, but should this responsibility come at the expense of giving generously to your church? According to the wisdom of this world, this endeavor would appear to be idiotic. For example, Dave Ramsey, one of the financial gurus of the day, suggests that one of the first steps to financial success is paying off debts. Whereas the practice of giving generously does not begin until the final step. Although there is much truth present in this system, gospel wisdom saturates financial giving into all stages of life.

Suppose that you are 16 years old and have become good buddies with Doc Brown (the
scientist from Back to the Future). He takes you back twenty years to when the company Tesla started. Knowing what you know now, on that trip would you invest your money in Tesla? Of course you would! Regardless of how much money you have, you would scrap together as much as possible because you know what the future payoff would be. Similarly, we know through God’s Word what the payoff will be for our present giving. Our current possessions, which on their own will tarnish and fade, have the power to store up for us eternal “treasures in heaven.” This is the investment of a lifetime! How could any financial situation keep you from participating in this gracious gift? Randy Alcorn expresses this idea when he says, “You can’t take it with you – but you can send it on ahead.” 3 Additionally, God does not promise that you will gain wealth in the future. For all you know, this period of life may be your greatest opportunity to give. Don’t waste it!

Those of us in our early earning years must ask ourselves how much of our income is
being spent unnecessarily. Biblical giving is sacrificial giving and will result in there being
“things we should like to do and cannot do because our charitable expenditure excludes them.” How many times a week do you eat out? How often do you buy coffee? What entertainment platforms are you paying for? These questions and more show us where spending could be reduced and consequently how we can give generously. A practical method to analyze your spending habits is to budget. Although it will take a bit of work and time, budgeting using one of the many available mediums will be beneficial as you look to give toward the only everlasting kingdom.

Part 2 here!

Credits:
“Dave Ramsey’s 7 Baby Steps,” Ramsey Solutions, accessed March 24, 2024,
https://www.ramseysolutions.com/dave-ramsey-7-baby-steps.
Randy C. Alcorn, The Treasure Principle, Lifechange Books (Sisters, Or: Multnomah Publishers, 2017).
C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (rev. ed; New York: Harper-Collins, 2001 [orig. 1952]). 86.
Some of the apps and websites available include Every Dollar: Budget Tracker, Zeta, and Empower Personal Dashboard.

Don't you love it when you don't have to prepare for something? You can just show up and receive? It's that part of parenting sometimes when the most prep we have to do is get the kids out the door to their game, and we sit and watch Sally net another goal into the corner of the net! Life is good.

But, do you come to the weekend, having left the cares of the office or classroom behind, with little concern to prepare for Sunday worship? After all, it's a day of rest. What more should we have to do? Coming to worship shouldn't have to feel like a work of righteousness that earns us favor with God (or at least a comfortable spot in the pew).

Because of the public nature of our discipleship, gathering to worship isn't just about throwing some clothes on, straightening the hair and making sure you're caffeinated. Sure, it may seem that getting kids out the door or getting the snow off the car is a miraculous feat.

If you could prepare for Sunday by taking the time to take inventory of your relationships in the pew, then how much sweeter might singing and supping at the Lord's Table be? Alot I imagine. But "How?", you ask.

Pastor Tim Shorey (who's dying of cancer) has written a helpful little book called The Communion Truce: How Holy Communion Addresses Our Unholy Conflicts. It has the feel of a counselor chatting with us at a fireplace, an almost extended communion meditation in and of itself. Shorey boldly asserts that "Holy Communion can help address our unholy conflicts and can lead toward peace whenever difference, dissension and distance threaten the unity of Christ's Church" (p.8).
 
All of us would happily affirm that the meal Jesus gave us, at the very least, is designed to remember his cross work and thus assure us of his forgiveness. It "reminds us of who and whose we are" (24). But less known is the relational component that the Lord's Supper addresses. In remembering our Lord Jesus on the cross securing our justification, we must realize that "our warfare with one another is something Jesus died to end" (25).... Communion interrupts our relational bloodletting" (23).

With an epic reference to a World War 2 ceasefire between Allied and Nazi forces on Christmas Day, Shorey co-opts the idea of that truce and applies it to the thing most sacred to Christ: his Church. He writes that "frequent communion 'truces' should: 'make us uncomfortable with our strife... provoke healthy shame... and confront our hypocrisy" (25). This may sound really bizarre to you, especially if you see taking communion as a kind of religious snack or a private religious moment between you and God.

Communion is no less than about 'me and God,' but it's much more. It's because Jesus didn't merely die for a 'you' but for an 'us.' And that changes everything about how you live Monday-Saturday and come to worship God on Sunday. Because communion symbolizes our corporate participation in Christ and reminds us that the "one loaf" and one cup is what we all are a part of, we ought to, Shorey contends, "turn Holy Communion into a relationship assessing-and-healing event.... Practicing communion as a bond of love shortens our conflict accounts by compelling us to make peace before returning to the Table" (39).

So, when the apostle says not to eat in an "unworthy manner" (1 Corinthians 11:27) and when Jesus demands that you "leave your gift at the altar" (Matthew 5:24); or when the minister discourages you from taking communion if you're cherishing more fight in your heart than forgiveness toward a fellow member, what will you do?

How and when must you attend to the reconciling aspect of the Communion picture? After, during or before communion? Well, yes, and it depends. What I can tell you is that a token moment of silence while you're waiting for the others to be served the elements is often insufficient to do the minimal reconciling that our Lord instituted in order to receive communion worthily.

The wrong thing to do would be to not come to church. Come to worship, but if you must, refrain from receiving the Bread and Cup.

Yet, with all sincerity and earnestness, pursue a time and place where you and the other brother or sister can address your unholy conflict. Could it be that grabbing someone out of line is appropriate? Maybe. What if you texted or called the person the night before and said: "Hey Jamie, I know we're at odds, or at least I feel it. Not sure if you do. Can we meet a half hour before the service starts to talk and pray?" If you know the conflict is your fault, then, wait till after communion to approach the person (especially if you're doing it last minute).

The point is that on this side of heaven, we are never going to have perfectly peaceful relationships, but in the body of Christ, we should try to lean into our reconciled identity by pursuing peace (Romans 12:18, 21).

Shorey says that "we are never worthy [of the Lord's Supper], as in deserving. But we can be unworthy, as in disqualified [from the Lord's Supper because we refuse to reconcile, p. 46].

Beloved, prepare for this Sunday and the next by reckoning with your church relationships. It may mean you have to sit out one Sunday but at the very least, you can get busy taking advantage of the communion truce. Your relational wholeness is a matter of Christ's life and death. And it should matter to you, too.
 

A couple of months ago, my sister called me to inform me that her dog had passed away. During the conversation, she shared the difficulty she was having trying to explain to her children that they would not see the dog again without telling them that he was dead. I sympathized with her struggle, but I thought to myself that it would actually be beneficial for these children to learn about the death of a pet before they face the death of a human loved one. I love these kids and don't want to see them crushed by the loss of their dog, but it is because I love them that I want them to be well-equipped when they inevitably face the reality and the finality of death. Well, Matthew McCullough's book, "Remember Death," takes that love one step further.

It's not just children that are often shielded from the reality of death. The truth is that our health care system, our culture, our entertainment, and even our funerals shield us from the reality of death in a way that previous generations have never experienced. "Remember Death" shows that we cannot continue to ignore death because death is a Gospel issue. Death is the very problem that the Gospel addresses. So, if we do not face the reality of death, then we will be kept from the growth that the Gospel is meant to bring about in us. If we are serious about sharing Christ with the children of our church, we need to be honest with them about death. And if we're serious about growing in Christ ourselves, then we need to think through how death transforms our understanding of the Gospel. This book is an indispensable resource for both tasks. Purchase a copy here.

Lemuel Haynes (1753-1833) was long considered the “invisible man of African American theology” due in part to his affinity for Jonathan Edwards and his open critique of Thomas Paine, which “led many to the mistaken belief that he was not an abolitionist.”
The illegitimate son of a slave and a white socialite, young Lemuel didn’t know his parents. He was indentured to and raised by a Baptist deacon, David Rose. Unlike many of his slave counterparts, his was a humane and deeply spiritual upbringing in between the first and second “Great Awakenings.” He married Elizabeth Babbit, with whom he raised 10 children. Theirs was a happy, worshipful home brimming with Bible reading, singing, quizzing, and prayer. His kids loved him.
A veteran of the Continental Army (1776), he admired George Washington and the Federalist Party. Though fond of Republican political philosophy, Haynes was quick to point out the glaring inconsistency of slavery. In a fledgling nation trying to figure out the shape of church and state, Haynes modeled for Christians and ministers the courage and compassion of speaking to the societal or political issues of the day.
Haynes was steeped in the teachings of English Puritanism and breathed the revivalist air of George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards, whose doctrines of grace, God’s active providence, and his sovereignty in salvation he championed. Lemuel Haynes was the first African-American to be ordained by any American religious body. He pastored in MA, CT, and 30 years in Rutland, VT, and for the first 5 years in one of them, saw very little fruit. “Death and eternity were ever before him," as seen by the 500 funerals he officiated years in 41 years.
He was a “faithful preacher” and by accounts of his letters, a good friend. We all do well to learn from his letters which he often signed off: “Remember me at the throne of grace. My heart wishes you success. The Lord make you faithful.”

Credits

1. May We Meet in the Heavenly World: The Piety of Lemuel Haynes, by Thabiti Anyabwile, Reformation Heritage Books. Kindle Edition.
2. “Lemuel Haynes” by John Saillant; in Makers of American Theology, eds. Mark G. Toulouse and James O. Duke, pp. 97-100.
3. http://www.virtualvermont.com/history/lhaynes.html
4. Image of painting by Eugene H. Bischoff for the Bennington Museum (Vermont).

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership
By John Maxwell
Review by Erik Veker
First Published in 1998

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, initially published in 1998, is now on its 25th-anniversary edition. In its lifetime, it has sold over four million copies. In this review, my approach will include a brief summary of each law and thoughts about its application to the particular context of Addison Street Community Church.

Introduction

Maxwell describes why he became an author, giving an important insight into his approach to the remainder of the book. He says, "I had a passion to add value to people that energized me to write" (xx). He introduces this idea of adding value that will come up frequently throughout his book and even receive its own law. This is an important concept that should be injected into the lifeblood of churches. Practically speaking, what value are we bringing to the members and attenders of this church? It's no exaggeration to say that the church, more than any other organization, has more to offer someone than any other organization. By extending the gospel, the church offers life to someone in exchange for death. She offers a community in exchange for isolation. We do well to think and speak about the value we bring to people.

Maxwell's introduction is also ironic. In the tenth anniversary edition (which I'm reviewing), several new laws are introduced, and others have been combined. So much for being irrefutable. But he validates the long list of laws by describing an encounter with a young man who was looking for only one law that was really, really important. He says, "The one thing you need to know about leadership is that there is more than one thing you need to know about leadership" (xx). This is the heart of this genre of literature. This is essential material and requires a special section in your library. "Each law is like a tool, ready to be picked up and used to help you achieve your dreams and add value to other people" (xxi). His value proposition is that in reading this book, you'll have more value to add to others.

Law 1. The Law of the Lid | Leadership ability determines a person's level of effectiveness.

This chapter sets the tone for leadership. It shows how leadership is inextricably tied to other people and to organizations. The very word 'leadership' assumes multiple people in the conversation. The bottom line is that we need to grow our leadership ability to become more effective. As a church, let’s be committed to both increasing the quantity and quality of our leaders.

Law 2. The Law of Influence | The true measure of leadership is influence–nothing more, nothing less.

Most people will never have ultimate power in an organization. Even if you're the senior leader of an organization, there are very few circumstances where you have veto power over all decisions. Therefore, this might be the most relevant law for the average congregation member. You only have one vote at the end of the day. So the question is, how do you lead by influence?

Of all the myths about leadership described in this chapter, the knowledge myth is particularly noteworthy for our context. The most intelligent person in the room isn't necessarily the leader. And they shouldn't necessarily be the leader. The law of influence can best be tested in a context flush with volunteers. "If you want to find out how good your leadership really is, then try leading volunteers as a volunteer in a nonprofit organization" (18). At our church, who's influencing the congregation? The answer to that question is the answer to the question, who's really leading?

Law 3. The Law of Process | Leadership develops daily, not in a day.

Don't wait until you're in a leadership role to start reading about leadership dynamics, thinking about leadership dynamics, and actually taking a stab at leading. This law is about patient, disciplined, and slow leadership development. It's never too soon to start working on these principles.

One of the book's most comforting lines is when Maxwell writes, "Leadership is complicated. It has many facets: respect, experience, emotional strength, people skills, discipline, vision, momentum, timing–the list goes on. As you can see, many factors that come into play in leadership are intangible. That's why leaders require so much seasoning to be effective. That's why I felt that only after reaching age fifty was I truly beginning to understand the many aspects of leadership with clarity" (25). This should both comfort and convict. There's a lot to learn, so be patient. There's a lot to learn, so get moving!

One of my critiques of this book is the standard necessary to say there is evidence for a law. The anecdotes often need to be more compelling, but it is a popular-level book, so I can't hold him to academic standards.

There's a key question in the application section of the law: "What is your personal plan for growth?" (34). Do you and I have an answer to this question ready?

Law 4. The Law of Navigation | Anyone can steer the ship, but it takes a leader to chart the course.

This is a chapter about vision. And one of the most robust illustrations in the book is found in this chapter. It contrasts two expeditions to the North Pole. Amundsen and Co carefully chart the course and succeed. Scott did not, and the incompetence to chart the course proved fatal. Leroy Eims says, "A leader is one who sees more than others see, who sees farther than others see, and who sees before others do."

Planning, strategy, vision, and reminding must be part of every leader's regular schedule. This could be a regular reminder or a calendar event that shows up every few weeks. The point is that this is a significant component of every leader's job description.

Where are we going as a church? Does everyone know where we are going? If someone asked us this question, how similar would our answers be?

Law 5. The Law of Addition | Leaders add value by serving others.

This could be the first law. It should be the first law. Christ's most candid leadership lesson is this law. 'The greatest among you shall be your servant.'

"The whole idea of adding value to other people depends on the idea that you have something of value to add" (54). This is pertinent to church contexts where false humility often has total freedom to run rampant. By the grace of God, he has given you strengths and gifts to use for his glory. To deny those things and not steward them is sinful.

We need to keep asking ourselves, how are we serving individuals? How are we serving these neighborhoods?

Law 6. The Law of Solid Ground | Trust is the foundation of leadership.

Trust is gained in drops but lost in buckets. Unfortunately, trust in Christian churches and pastors has been significantly undermined by the violation of this law of leadership. This might be one of the most important laws to seek to obey without exception.

A question worth pondering is, 'how do we gauge the amount of trust individuals and the collective have in us?' Character matters. Every investment we make into our character is also an investment in our leadership ability.

Law 7. The Law of Respect | People naturally follow leaders stronger than themselves.

"Usually the more leadership ability a person has, the more quickly he recognizes leadership–or its lack–in others" (78). So, develop it, and identify it in others. Our church should not be afraid of strong leaders.

Law 8. The Law of Intuition | Leaders evaluate everything with a leadership bias.

This was the most helpful chapter in the book. Does this law register with you? If not, it's worth rereading. Despite the very trivial illustration Maxwell uses about his wife picking out his clothes, this chapter taps into some of the most intangible stuff in leadership. This law is about instincts and developing patterns in your leadership that are second nature. One way to cultivate this instinct is by reading leadership books. Leaders are readers. Leaders are readers of leadership books.

Law 9. The Law of Magnetism | Who you are is who you attract.

Maxwell means this in a diagnostic way, not as a claim on your ultimate identity. The diagnostic sounds like this: Why are we attracting the people that are here? There's something about the current DNA that answers that question. And the same applies to those we're not attracting. As a church, we must identify the traits we need to address to attract the people in this neighborhood. Our parish neighborhood is our mission field.

Maxwell, throughout this book, but especially in this chapter, is far too self-referential.

Law 10. The Law of Connection | Leaders touch a heart before they ask for a hand.

Bill Walsh is quoted to have said, "Nothing is more effective than sincere, accurate praise, and nothing is more lame than a cookie-cutter compliment" (117). Touching the heart comes by encouraging and inspiring. It comes by adding value before asking for value. This law reinforces the wisdom of having people serve only after becoming members. It's a crucial law to be mindful of as we think about the ongoing need to recruit, train and retain ministry partners.

As staff members, we also need to be clear when the hand we're asking for is a hand to help us or a hand that contributes to the work of God. We're all ultimately serving Christ.

Law 11. The Law of the Inner Circle | A leader's potential is determined by those closest to him.

Here are a few diagnostic questions: Who's in your inner circle? Are you investing significant time and prayer into this group? How do the people in your inner circle compliment you, really? Does everyone in your inner circle know what they bring to the table?

Law 12. The Law of Empowerment | Only secure leaders give power to others.

This is a marvelously paradoxical law. "The only way to make yourself indispensable is to make yourself dispensable" (147). This shows your inherent Christian value and the value you bring to an organization. The various barriers to empowerment were helpful. The second barrier is a great reminder. "Most people don't like change" (147). John Steinbeck says, "It is the nature of man as he grows older to protest against change, particularly change for the better" (147).

This law is congregationalism at its best. This is a picture of all of the saints equipped for the works of ministry and walking in them. So the question becomes, what does 'empowering' look like in a church? What is someone 'empowered' to do?

When you don't empower people, you're holding them down. And to hold people down, you too must shrink. It's a lose-lose.

Law 13. The Law of the Picture | People do what people see.

What's seen is repeated, and what's celebrated is repeated. So a leader needs to constantly repeat vision, mission, and values. Once people are saying, "I get it, I get it," you're probably close to the frequency these things should come up. I recently talked to a high-caliber leader who said he does a 'Mission minute' with his staff before weekly meetings to keep it on their minds. Why would he do this? Because he knows that "vision has a tendency to leak" (159). "Mission provides purpose–answer the question, Why? Vision provides a picture–answer the question, What? Strategy provides a plan–answering the question, How?" (159). John Wooden says, "Show me what you can do; don't tell me what you can do." (162). In our church context, what are people seeing and not seeing that they should be?

Law 14. The Law of Buy-In | People buy in to the leader, then to the vision.

The chart on p. 173 detailing the mixing and matching of leader and vision is excellent. What is our vision? What vision do people see from the leadership? How does a congregationalist church decide on vision?

Law 15. The Law of Victory | Leaders find a way for the team to win.

There are three components of victory. First, unity of vision. Second, diversity of skills. Third, a leader dedicated to victory and raising players to their potential. What is our win as a church? Are we sold out to achieve this win?

Law 16. The Law of the Big Mo | Momentum is a leader's best friend.
Pastor Will taps into this law when he talks about how we need to "strike while the iron is hot." We should constantly ask, "what momentum do we need to lean into? What slump do we need to stop?"

His Pixar illustration didn't make the point, but the Garfield High School teacher illustration was one of the strongest in the book.
Law 17. The Law of Priorities | Leaders understand that activity is not necessarily accomplishment.

This might be the most important law for pastors and churches to obey. It's very easy to confuse movement for progress. Why don't leaders prioritize? "First, when we are busy, we naturally believe that we are achieving. But busyness does not equal productivity. Activity is not necessarily accomplishment. Second, prioritizing requires leaders to continually think ahead, to know what's important, to know what's next, to see how everything relates to the overall vision. That's hard work. Third, prioritizing causes us to do things that are at the least uncomfortable and sometimes downright painful." (207).

What's the organization's wildly important goal? Tim Redmond is quoted saying, "There are many things that will catch my eye, but there are only a few things that will catch my heart" (211). We could save time and energy if everyone was locked into this dynamic.

Meetings are often primary abusers of this law. In meetings, you always need to know what the objective is. What do we want to accomplish in this meeting? Is it tangible?

One of the most probing questions in the book is found in the application section at the end. "Are you prepared to really shake up your life and get out of your comfort zone in order to live and work according to your priorities?" (216).

Law 18. The Law of Sacrifice | A leader must give up to go up.

What are you giving up for the vision? For the mission? Time? Money? Prestige? "Come, follow me."… "and they left everything and followed Jesus." The breaking of this law has contributed to the constant moral failures of (predominantly) megachurch pastors. "Effective leaders sacrifice much that is good in order to dedicate themselves to what is best" (223).

Law 19. The Law of Timing | When to lead is as important as what to do and where to go.

This law takes a slight nuance to the 'strike while the iron is hot' concept. We need to take the right actions at the right time. Some people need to act more quickly, and some need to act more slowly. But beware of a common trap. A slow decision is not always the right decision. Esther is an excellent example of this law. "For such a time as this…"

Law 20. The Law of Explosive Growth | To add growth, lead followers–to multiply, lead leaders.

I love this chapter. This is a header you could put on the book of Acts. The Leader of leaders led and empowered leaders. The apostles were leaders. They became leaders as they saw the Word made flesh, leading timid men who became Spirit-empowered leaders. "To attract leaders, what we're doing has to be more compelling than what they are already doing." So, we need to know what leaders currently find compelling. "The only way to lead leaders is to become a better leader yourself" (253). "Most organizations desire structure. Leaders want flexibility. Most organizations place a high value on following the rules. Leaders want to think outside the box. If you want to gather leaders, you must create a place where they can thrive" (253).

Law 21. The Law of Legacy | A leader's lasting value is measured by succession.

The emphasis on adding value is bookended nicely here. Whether or not you like the idea of legacy, if you use the basically synonymous word 'heritage' as its replacement, you'll find that this concept is all over the Scriptures. You're leaving a legacy one way or another. Everyone does. What will it be? "What do you want people to say at your funeral?" (257). Eleanor Roosevelt says, "Life is like a parachute jump; you've got to get it right the first time" (257).

Maxwell's life sentence is excellent: "I want to add value to leaders who will multiply value to others." (259). This is worth copying and claiming as your own until God births something a bit more personal. Given its importance, this could also be placed as the second law, but it also makes sense to conclude the laws with this one.

Conclusion

This book is worth reading, even if you're not compelled at every turn. If you're seeking to keep your mind on leadership principles, Maxwell has a daily reader that is accessible and practical. Consider filling out Appendix A at the end of the book. It would be enlightening to have a close friend or colleague complete it on your behalf. You can get your money's worth by refreshing yourself on the laws in the table of contents every so often. I leave you with two questions. What law will you focus on this week? And, what's the next leadership book on your bedside table?

This article was written by Benjamin Darge, a member of Addison and a former pastoral intern.

By the grace of God, we live in a time in which there are so many translations of the
Bible in English that we have encountered the unforeseen issue of having too many choices to pick from. Compare this to many places worldwide that would love to have just one translation
they can read! Because of this “problem” it has become dramatically easier to disregard a
translation for several reasons. If you are unfamiliar with the biblical languages,
you might hastily believe someone that says, “most English translations say this, but the Greek
actually says…” After all, they know Greek, and you don’t. They probably have it right, so I’ll trash what my translation says and take their word for it. Or, if one is in any way familiar with Greek or Hebrew, the temptation might be to think that YOU know better than your translation does and be the one to say, “most English translations say this, but the Greek actually says…” Whether you're knowledgeable in the Bible's original languages or not,  the same temptation is there: trash your translation. But to do this is to make a grave mistake. If you get anything out of reading this article, let it be this: Don’t trash your translation! Here are three reasons why.

1. People dedicated their whole lives to this.
Have you ever stopped to consider that there are people who have spent their whole adult
lives studying the original languages of the Bible so that they can provide readers with quality
translations? Yes, their whole lives! When you think of it that way, it is surprising that
we are sometimes so quick to trash our translations. To put it into perspective, picture this: a
young med student is determined to become a world-renowned surgeon. So, they spend eight
straight years of their lives dedicated to their studies and perfecting their craft. They graduate, and they are now ready to begin performing procedures. On their first day, they show up to work, and the patient they were going to perform surgery on begins to question their ability and ultimately decides that the doctor is not capable of performing the surgery. Instead, they will have it done by their friend who took two semesters of human anatomy in college. We would regard this person as a fool! Obviously, the trained doctor would be more capable of performing the surgery. Yet, we do not maintain the same sentiment when it comes to Bible translation. We are quick to throw out work done by trained scholars because our friend who took two semesters of Greek in college told us that the translators got it all wrong. And this leads to reason number two…
2. Most people don’t know Greek and Hebrew
More than likely, the majority of people reading this article do not have any knowledge of Greek or Hebrew, and that is okay! By no means does one have to know these languages to study God’s word well. We can have a great amount of confidence in our English Bibles. But, if one does not know these languages, an extra level of discernment is needed when one hears others make claims about the original languages. Here is a general rule of thumb to live by: side with the Bible translation committees. You might hear people on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, or even your friend make claims about what the "actual" Greek or Hebrew says, but one must be cautious when taking their claims as fact. The reason I suggest you take the side of translation committees is that they are exactly that, whole committees of scholars. The translation process for our common English versions (ESV, NIV, NASB, etc.…) is very grueling. Whole committees must come to a consensus when making a translation decision. Because of this process, I believe it best to exercise caution when hearing independent claims about the original text on the internet and when in doubt, trust the abilities of our Bible translation committees.
3. If you do, you probably don’t know Greek and Hebrew as well as you think you do.
This problem is most notable in circles, such as Bible colleges, where there is a basic
understanding of the original languages of the Bible. This is coming from someone who has now finished two semesters of Greek. However, here’s the issue: we can get a little
overconfident in our understanding of the original languages. One important thing to consider is how language is taught in our schools. To the point, Dr. Andy Naselli says, “Colleges and graduate schools tend to emphasize translating Greek to English in an extremely form-based way. That’s not bad. It’s like learning to ride a bike with training wheels. But the problem is that some students think riding a bike with training wheels is the goal.” Your Greek
Grammar 1 & 2 classes are not bad! They are just not the end-all-be-all of Greek. So what is the point of all of this? Well, it is simple. Firstly, let’s thank God for the people who have worked so diligently to provide us with ample Bible translations. Secondly, let’s view our plethora of Bible translations not as a problem or as a cause to start translation wars, but rather, let us see the vast amount of translations as a great aid to good Bible study. Finally, and most importantly, don’t trash your translation.

Google© has become the dominant online consumer search engine. We should know this as its brand has seamlessly snuggled into our vocabularies as a verb. Who of us doesn’t access this powerful search tool and its counterparts to get quick answers to our everyday questions? Where would we be (literally!) if we didn’t have online maps supported by real-time Global Positioning Systems (GPS)?
For you younger readers, this is just the way it is. For those of us north of the mid-life divide, we remember navigation with paper maps; communication with phone books, no cell phones, and no email. This isn’t to get all nostalgic about the good ol’ days; nor is it to blindly celebrate and embrace all technological evolutions as equally good.
The ubiquity and convenience of informational technologies is in many ways a good thing and has closed our knowledge gaps more fluidly. Thanks to the internet, the power of information is democratized (for better and worse) and ignorance is on the decline (or is it?).
Many products that we buy come with user manuals. And those manuals often come with warnings about misuse. The stories of product misuse range from comical to tragic. This thing we call the world wide web (www.) has often been referred to as a “wild, wild west.” It’s an untapped, undomesticated space with no real user manual, just waiting for creators and innovators to descend upon it and wrestle it into something really useful. There is, too, such a thing as the “dark web” in that many vices and illegal practices go under the radar of normal search methods and monitoring. In the online world, it seems like much of the end-user guidance is sourced by the users themselves. Google emits light and darkness.
All said: the world of privatized digital search has made us more connected and informed. Great. But has it made us wiser? Does Google (as a catchword) bring its users closer to God? Have you let the word of Google trump the Word of God?  
Who of us doesn’t at least occasionally turn to Google when we’re even “stuck” on bigger problems? Maybe we don’t have an answer for or against someone’s argument. So? Turn to your search bar. It’s amazing what a few keyboard strokes in a little box can do to help us find someone or something to agree with us; or, to put a person down or in their place. Talk about being “powered by Google.”
They say that the internet doesn’t discriminate and that it never forgets. Anywhere you go now, cameras and microphones surround you, and the content created on those devices can be uploaded from anywhere in seconds. But, the internet isn’t God. Google isn’t God. And Google certainly isn’t a replacement for the Word of God. And before Google was, God is. And long after the massive server farms that drive our online searches go extinct or are bombed in cyber warfare, God’s Word will still stand (Psalm 119:89). Relevant as ever, ready for the next search.
Praise God for all the ways he providentially appoints a soul’s search with digital interfaces to get us to his Word! And to Christ! Gutenberg’s press has met a powerful partner in today’s digital technologies to spread the omnipotent Word of God.
However, we as Christians do well to employ the tools of our age wisely for God’s glory. It’s all his, anyway. But we must give exclusive prominence, ruthless allegiance, and continued attention to God’s timeless, powerful Word as our search “engine” of choice.
So, the next time you’re tempted to take the queries or anxiety of your soul to soulless search bots, pause. Close the laptop, toss the device aside, take a couple of deep breaths and point your soul’s cursor prayerfully to God’s Word. Restart your mind's "computer" with these search criteria— straight outta the Word itself.

Job 5:8-9—   “As for me, I would seek God, and to God would I commit my cause, who does great things and unsearchable, marvelous things without number.”
Psalm 27:8—  “You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, LORD, do I seek.””
Proverbs 8:17— “I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.”
Matthew 6:33— “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
John 6:68-69— “Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”
Colossians 3:1— “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.”
Hebrews 11:6— “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”
Hebrews 13:14— “For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.”

When it comes to sexual abuse or assault, we as the church need to listen better to survivors and then speak more. The trauma suffered, whether once or multiple times, among many other things, robs the victim of their ability to voice their pain. But even getting to the point of listening may take time and lots of trust built up over time.
Not for a second do I pretend to understand what a sexual assault victim has endured, nor, do I assume the seat of the various other professionals who are poised to help these silent sufferers (like case workers, therapists, and attorneys). However, I am learning that Jesus’ church has a place in offering the redemptive healing power of the Gospel for the sexually violated.
Here are some follow-ups to last Sunday’s talk on sexual abuse:

• Listen and believe. I mean, why should an abuse survivor believe that anyone will listen? They’ve probably been shut down before. Andrew Schmutzer, a survivor and advocate, writes: “Unbelievable experiences tend to create unwanted testimonies.” In other words, people who can’t be believed will not be wanted to testify.
  
  
• Listen more, believe and weep. Often what you initially see or hear is just the tip of the iceberg. This may come more naturally for some than others, but being so moved in mind and heart that you can cry for them— while it won’t change the past— will communicate redemptive empathy.
  
  
• Believe (genuinely) and become an advocate, a voice, for the person. This is where the “speaking more” part comes in. With the survivor’s permission, you should take up their cause and even stake your own reputation on what is right. This is true, especially where children are concerned, but the sad reality is many abused children don’t give voice to their own trauma until they're much older.
  
  
• As of 2020, the Illinois statute of limitations on sexual abuse cases has been lifted. That is a right weapon of justice for those on whom the legal time clock and possibilities for reparation and justice have past.
   
• Christians and churches aren’t immune to this evil and need to face the music. There shouldn’t be “even a hint” (Ephesians 5:3) of ANY sexual deviance in Christ’s church. When there is, the church must deal with it. If it’s criminal and illegal, they must swiftly report it and work with local authorities.
  
  
• Cultures of male dominance, whether or not they existed during biblical epochs, have almost always lent toward the minimization or abuse of women. Therefore, they are wrong. For a Gospel corrective to cultures of dominance, check out Jesus in Mark 10:42-45.
  
  
• Though the abuser statistics sadly skew heavily male, women can abuse, too. Think of the classic case of a high school teacher who grooms one of her unsuspecting male students. Or, for a sordid biblical example, see Genesis 19 of adult daughters to their father.
  
  
• Abusers tend to be skilled manipulators.
  
  
• Sexual abuse is not just body, soul and spiritual. It’s an attack on gender. Robert Kelleman says: “We are female or male not only in our bodies but also in the essence of our souls, selves, and personhood. Sexual abuse abuses the female soul and body or a male soul and body.”
  
  
• Sexual abuse survivors may have future trouble on what Schmutzer calls “the intimacy spectrum.” That is, “what is awakened in the arena of terror is not easily transferred to the realm of delights.”
  
  
• Forgiveness and justice are two different things. If we were to look back to the example of David and his sin with Bathsheba. God forgave him, but David still had to endure the consequences of the sin. See the end of 2nd Samuel 12.
  
  
• Forgiveness and reconciliation aren’t mutually exclusive. Just because a victim may forgive their abuser doesn’t mean their relationship is automatically restored. It won’t ever be the same. And as Schmutzer wisely points out: “Christian organizations have been the most reluctant to accept that a confessing abuser doesn’t heal the abused.”

This hardly scratches the surface, but the conversation MUST keep going and our consciousness ever awakened. May God have mercy on us all.

If prayer is much like talking, then it should come naturally. But if prayer is the “breath of dependence,” then it doesn’t seem as easy. And that’s because depending ain’t easy at times  (especially the more independent we become). Of course, there’s the fact, too, of talking to someone we can’t see or audibly hear that makes this kind of religious expression more elusive to us. There are sinful reasons we don’t pray that complicate the endeavor, too, but have you ever thought: If Jesus is God, why did he have to pray?
We know from John’s Gospel that the three-in-one Godhead enjoyed perfect loving fellowship in eternity past and before Jesus became human (John 17:24). We know from Jesus’ earthly parentage that he would have been reared to pray.
Here are three thoughts on why Jesus needed to pray.
1. HE PRAYED TO MAINTAIN FELLOWSHIP WITH HIS FATHER.
Curiously, Jesus prayed at his baptism (Luke 3:21). Jesus would often get up long before everyone else and get away to be with his Father (Mark 1:36), or at times he’d spend the night in solitary prayer (Luke 6:12). After he had his disciples chosen, he took select ones up a mountain to pray at which time his glory was peeled back a little (Luke 9:28-29).
2. HE PRAYED TO MODEL PRAYER FOR THE REST OF US.
Jesus didn’t need to pray because he was (and still is) God. He needed to pray because he was (and still is) human. Hebrews 5:7 candidly tell us how it was: “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death.” Jesus confessed his dependence on God, but unlike us, he never had to confess sin. He knew how to pray as one tempted. He modeled dependence from start to finish. If Jesus depended on God the Father, we need to be, too.
While the prayers of the Old Testament, Psalms, and the Apostles are exemplary, no single prayer better gives us the headliners or categories to pray than the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-11; Luke 11:1-4). His disciples asked for instruction on prayer, and this is what he gave them. It is a jam-packed, massive prayer. You cannot merely recite this periodically as a formula or good luck charm.
3. HE PRAYED TO ASK GOD SPECIFIC THINGS FOR US (INTERCESSION).
Though Jesus prayed for himself (in the Garden of Gethsemane), his is a ministry of prayer for us. Around the last supper, Jesus predicted Simon Peter’s denial and said: “But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail” (Luke 22:30). That prayer wasn’t immediately answered, but it was eventually and fully answered. Then, Jesus prayed what has been famously dubbed his “high priestly” prayer in John 17. He was praying for the disciples in front of him and for their disciples, too (Us!). Jesus, who is physically in heaven, is still praying, not for himself but for us. How beautifully Hebrews 7:24-25 says this: “because Jesus lives forever and has a permanent priesthood… He is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he ever lives to intercede for them.” (emphasis added)
If Jesus needed to pray, how much more do we need to pray! The fact that Jesus displayed his fellowship with God through prayer and modeled how and what to pray, gives us confidence (Hebrews 10:19) that we can pray. Jesus isn’t some impossible model to mimic. God doesn’t dangle impossibilities in front of our eyes to gloat in our failures. He answers impossibilities in his righteous Son, Jesus, who becomes our possibility for everything good and lasting; even praying. So, fight the temptation to throw your hands up in frustration that you can’t do it. Bank on his perfect prayer life to infuse your prayer life with power and effectiveness (James 5:16).
 
If Jesus Needed to Pray, So. Do. We.

If you're reading this, then theres a fair chance that you've listened to your share of sermons. You may even be a connoisseur of sermons. So what is it that we should be expecting in a sermon? What does faithful biblical preaching look like? And what is the point of the sermon? Throughout the Scriptures, Gods faithful servants are called to speak what God has said, not adding or subtracting to his word. For example:

"You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you." Deuteronomy 4:2

"Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar." Proverbs 30:5-6

"I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book." Revelation 22:18-19

Jesus himself warned the Pharisees of the danger of invalidating or nullifying Gods Word by our own traditions (Mark 7:13). This is the danger when the point of the sermon is different from the point of the passage.

Jesus said that his teaching was like that of every faithful teacher of God when he told them, My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me (John 7:16). Because we believe that the Bible is the Word of God, the faithful preachers job is to speak what God has spoken. This means the main point of the passage should be the sermons main point. And so the point of the sermon is to expose the meaning of what God has spoken, making it the point of the sermon and applying it to life by showing its relevance to life today.

You’ve probably heard it: the judge within you whispering (and maybe sometimes shouting) doubt and condemnation. But rest assured: that's not the final word on you, believer.
The book of First John is a lighthouse bright for the darkness and brimming with rich Gospel assurances. You can’t read that pastor-apostle John letter without being challenged and comforted.
John was probably Jesus’ bosom buddy of all the Twelve. Peter might have been the leader entrusted with the birth and formation of the new covenant Church, but John got Jesus’ heart and pastored like him. We get 5 of the 27 New Testament books from this John (Gospel, 3 letters, and the Revelation). St. John was a “specialist” in Christian assurance (Gospel of John 20:31; 21:24). Right knowledge is vital to a living, assured faith. He uses the word ‘know’ A LOT. For instance, he states:
“By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God.”
1 John 3:19-21
 True faith is an abiding reality, no matter how small or mature. The measure of one’s faith is not dependent on the object of their faith.  True faith never goes beyond the pale into rank, damnable unbelief. Though related, assurance of faith and grace isn’t always a steady state. Just notice the two “ifs” above. It doesn’t mean we’re less saved. It just means that due to one or multiple variables (like personality, health, sin, or circumstances), we may be less sure at times than at others. Often a believer’s doubt or self-condemnation results from a guilty conscience. Real, damnable guilt was dealt with once and for all on the cross. Yet, that is one of the ongoing struggles for the Christian— distinguishing between guilt and genuine conviction of sin.
John helps pacify the troubled conscience with two assurances. Some Bible versions (NET and CSB) viably translate ‘heart’ (cardia) as ‘conscience’:

1. Looking Back: If we look back to the previous verses (3:18), it talks about how true faith demonstrates in visible sacrificial deeds towards the brothers, not just talking about it. If we can look back and see that we have shown love for God’s children, we can take that as a mark of divine love at work within us. We’re assured!
2. Looking Up: As Doug O’Donnell quips: “Our hearts don’t always align with our heads.” We go looking within or listening to ourselves or other accusations more often than not. John intercepts us as we’re headed into yet another one of our tailspins of guilt. The late Dr. James Boice summarized this as ‘faith must be fed by knowledge of what is true about God.’ In other words, we should look forward or out and up at God and his verdict; not our experiences. When our hearts pound the gavel again and again, must take comfort in God’s greatness and omniscience. God is greater than our hearts. He knows us better than we know ourselves. God’s omniscience usually (and rightfully) is a deterrent to sin, but here in 1 John it is comfort over our condemnation. Yes, God knows your woefully repeated failures. Yet, God knows what he has done for you, which is much greater than anything you’ve committed or omitted. Instead of defensively telling yourself or others the usual ‘God knows my heart’, tell your Accuser (which is what Satan means): “You are right. I am that and worse, but God, through Christ, has forgiven me, and I am dressed in HIS righteousness alone. God is greater than my heart.” Resist the accusations like that.

The words of "Before the Throne of God Above" ring true to the guilt-ridden heart: “When Satan tempts me to despair And tells me of the guilt within, Upward I look and see Him there, Who made an end to all my sin….”
 And then, be at ease even when your heart isn't as accused (verse 21). Enjoy confidence before God. Timidity, fear, and guilt are not the emotions that our good Father wants us to have. Go ahead, beloved child of God dressed like Jesus the Son, hop into your Father’s lap and ask away.
Dear Saint, rest— assured.

Have you ever been turned off by someone's attempt at rectifying a wrong with you? All of us offend someone at some point in our lives. It probably happened this week. Instead of judging someone's lackluster apology too quickly, why don't you plan on giving a meaningful (that is, sincere and full) apology the next time you are aware of offending someone or somebody? Do you know how to apologize?

Jimmy Dodd, the founder and CEO of PastorServe, helpfully writes about the theme of apologizing: "The Nine A's of Confession." He said, "... we make mistakes [and we sin]. We must apologize. When I apologize, I take a deep breath and think through the Nine A's. Each one is critical."

Read this prayerfully with an open heart and start right away with someone. I've put brackets around my additions or tweaks throughout this list.

1. Address everyone involved. When you hurt with words or actions, address EVERYONE impacted.
2. Avoid "if, but, and maybe." This is essential! Using the word "if" declares that you are not fully taking responsibility for your actions or words. The phrase "if I hurt you" says that your actions may or may not have inflicted pain. The word 'but' conveys that you believe you were justified in your actions.
3. Admit specifically. Just admit what you did! This is where the vast majority of apologies go horribly wrong. Don't justify your behavior. Don't beat around the bush. Just admit what you did or said. It's not rocket science. If a video tape shows you punching  a woman— don't be so foolish as to say, "Everyone who knows me can confirm that I have the highest respect for women." In reality, that statement only confirms that you are an immature, narcissistic, blame-shifting individual; [not to mention, a liar].
4. Acknowledge the hurt. Acknowledge the pain you caused. Use words like, "I know my actions caused deep pain." Make sure the other party is satisfied that you understand the depth of hurt your words or actions inflicted upon them.
5. Accept the consequences. Yep. There are consequences to careless words and actions. Accept [humbly] what is coming your way.
6. Alter your behavior. Commit that [by God's grace and Holy Spirit's power] you will never do this again. Tell the offended party that you will diligently work to change your behavior. [Even ask for and submit to some extra accountability like a fellow church member or counselor to hold your feet to the fire and encourage you in any progress you're making.]
7. Allow the other person to share their emotions. Ask the offended party what else they need you to know. Often, there is deeper hurt than we ever realized. Practice active listening! Don't defend yourself, just listen!
8. Ask for forgiveness. So basic but often overlooked. Every apology must include the words, "I am sorry. Will your forgive me?" [And if you've offended a family member, spiritual or biological, I'd add: I sinned against you on this.]
9. Allow time for final reflection. Don't rush the apology. Sometimes, people need time to reflect, further acknowledge the hurt and ask questions to confirm that you understand the pain you caused. [Give them that space and keep the door open for them to "come in" and elaborate further on the hurt.]

Dear Blessed Woman,
I know you won’t get this. I doubt you’ll even see this as you are in heaven, joined by that great cloud of witnesses. After all, you don’t share the “ever-present” or “all-knowing” qualities of your Lord and mine.
What was it like to be surprised by that angel? Did you have any idea? When did you tell your parents? What was their reaction? The Sacred Text doesn’t tell me, but did the angel come to them, too? In my society, parental disclosure from the news source for such an event would help (of course, the celestial announcement would have been appalling by itself). What do you think Joseph would have done if an angel didn’t inform him? Did you really believe or was it surreal? What did your friends say? Did anyone tell the synagogue leaders? Was suspicion building? It must have been a good thing that your cousin Elizabeth was pregnant, too. In a way, she “had the back” of your Lord and mine.
What did you crave during your pregnancy with Messiah? What was going through your head those 9 months knowing you were carrying a king? You seem to have a mature view of God’s economics when it comes to the rich and poor, for you and your family were always struggling to make ends meet. What did the priest say when you gave him the name Yeshua? What was it like to hear Simeon’s prophecy about your future sorrow? Did you ever really anticipate the grief to come when Jesus left your home only to become homeless? Speaking of sorrow and grief, what did you think when you heard of Herod’s slaughter? Did you shed tears in sackcloth and ashes, make an offering, or fast? Did you ever imagine the cost of birthing your Lord and mine in that stable?
Dear Mary, what was it like to patch up his first scraped knee? How weird was it to go shopping or to parties and never remind Jesus of the family rules? Did you ever feel unfair disciplining his half-siblings? Did you ever, in a moment of alone time with Yeshua, just bow down and worship both your Lord and mine?

The following is a review of the book, Strange New World: How Thinkers and Activists Redefined Identity and Sparked the Sexual Revolution by Carl R. Trueman (Crossway, 2022).
Pastor Will Pareja wrote this review (June 2022)

If your breath has been taken away at the blistering pace of moral change today, you should read this book. Dr. Carl Trueman is a specialist in the history of ideas/philosophy. An ordained minister (Orthodox Presbyterian Church) who teaches at Grove City College (PA), Trueman published The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism and the Road to Sexual Revolution (2020). That volume was about as groundbreaking as the tectonic subject he treated. So much so that in light of all that came in the wake of the pandemic, Trueman updated and abridged it to help the average church member access the heart of his magnum opus. So… Strange New World!
The foreward by Ryan T. Anderson states the book “as an account of how the person became a self, the self became sexualized, and sex became politicized” (12). Most of us who have a basic understanding of 20th-century American history might know the 1960s as the “Sexual Revolution.” Truman excels in showing that though that was one of the presenting problems of the 60s decade onward, a social imaginary had been in place far before. Borrowing from Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor, Trueman presents the term “social imaginary” as a key to understanding the sexual revolution. He says (169): “The truth is that the last vestiges of a social imaginary shaped by Christianity are rapidly vanishing, and many of us are even now living as strangers in a strange new world.”
Trueman warns that he “offer[s] no easy answers” and that the book “is neither lament nor a polemic” (29). Vital, however, to understanding the problem he tackles, is his definition of the self as “the deeper notion of where the ‘real me’ is to be found, how that shapes my view of life, and in what the fulfillment or happiness of that ‘real me’ consists.” “The modern self assumes the authority of inner feelings and sees authenticity as defined by the ability to give social expression to the same…. Also it assumes that society at large will recognize and affirm this behavior” (21-22). Another essential term for this is ‘expressive individualism’ (22). The bottom line for Trueman is that not only do “we all share more or less the same social imaginary” (29) but also that authenticity is authoritative.
Chapters 2-4 start tracing the development of our sexually evolved transgender ‘moment’ through René Descartes, Jean-Jacques Rosseau, and other Romantic thinkers. But, “the modern self is not simply one that sees inner feelings as authoritative; the modern self also largely rejects the idea that human nature has any intrinsic moral structure or significance” (51). And this is where Karl Marx, Friedrich Nietzsche, and the likes of Oscar Wilde took the Romantic baton of the self and applied it to the institutions of economics and religion. And “as soon as one side in the cultural conflict politicizes an institution, the other side has no choice but to engage on those terms” (69). And it is to that sexualizing of psychology and politicizing of sex that Trueman takes us in chapter 4. There he summarizes and exposes Sigmund Freud and the (perhaps) lesser-known Wilhelm Reich (a Marxist)— who in the 1930s was drawing the blueprints for the sexual revolution of the 1960s— as the idealogues who re-framed ‘sex’ as “no longer a matter of behavior, of what we do; [but as] a matter of who we are. This helps us understand why language such as ‘straight,’ ‘gay,’ and ‘bisexual’ now make sense, even if one is a virgin and has never engaged in sexual activity. It is not the act but the desire, or the orientation of that desire, that defines the person” (88).
“How have we moved from the arguments of a few elite thinkers to the instincts of the masses?” (91). That’s a great question, Carl! It’s in chapter 5 that Trueman starts to tease out the societal implications of going from institutional authorities to the individual as autonomous; authenticity as authority. “To put it bluntly, the modern cultural imagination sees the world as raw material to be shaped by the human will” (95), and technology has also “served the cause well” (96). The elevation of the expressed self has basically resulted in abandoning “a sacred order” (101).
Basically, our plasticity of personhood has promoted a “politics of recognition” (115) and has led to this strange new “liquid world” (126). “National narratives are not the means for social unity but have instead become battle zones, and it is very hard to be part of an imagined community when the nature of what is to be imagined is itself a primary source of division…. A moment’s reflection indicates this: the language of community is now routinely applied to categories that have little or nothing to do with nation or religion or family” (120). All of this leads up to the sexual revolution of the LGBTQ+ (ch 7).
Trueman closes the book by saying: “The truth is that the last vestiges of a social imaginary shaped by Christianity are rapidly vanishing, and many of us are even now living as strangers in a strange new world (169).... Sooner or later, every single one of us is likely to be faced with a challenging situation generated by the modern notion of selfhood” (170). Thus, we are called away from “despair and optimism” (185) and to a renewed identity in and commitment to the Church. So, “...the strongest identities I have, forming my strongest intuitions, derive from the strongest communities to which I belong. And that means the church needs to be the strongest community to which we each belong” (175).
With this commitment locked in (and never assumed!), local churches stand a good chance of letting their lights shine in this dark world. Trueman deftly warns, however, that “we can become so preoccupied with specific threats that we neglect the important fact that Christian truth is not a set of isolated and unconnected claims but rather stands as a coherent whole. The church’s teaching on gender, marriage and sex is a function of her teaching on what it means to be human” (178).
So, do you want to live faithfully in this strange, new world instead of hating people or escaping or denying our cultural reality? What if you could protect yourself and your children from the plasticity and liquidity of our vapid age and also model for and mold them into a durable alternative that blazes a pure light of a redeemed and glorified self? Take comfort, Christian. Don’t shrink back. The hell of the modern self hath no fury against the new humanity that Christ is creating.

They both went to Pierced Church but learned to listen differently to the sermon over time. One ear, trained on sitcoms and sound bytes, rarely got what the pulpit's talking ear was saying. He preferred brief, inspirational talks sprinkled with good jokes and well-timed stories. The other ear, however, knew that the message from God’s word was relevant to her. She knew that what she was listening to every Sunday was the most important message she heard all week--as if God himself were talking.
Christianity is a message-driven, communicative faith, and the foundation for belief is built on words and ideas formed by a non-ignorable Author. Thus, it requires listening, a certain amount of literacy, and a response.
Christopher Ash has written a practical little guide to listening well to sermons called Listen Up! Ash serves up several ingredients for healthy sermon listening, and I follow with some commentary:
1) Expect God to speak | Prepare yourself on Saturday evening and Sunday morning in prayer, and consider meditating on the sermon text if you know it ahead of time.

2) Admit God knows better than you | This mindset of humility will make you tender to hear the Word and do something with it.

3) Check what the preacher says with what the passage says | Does the main point of the preacher’s sermon reflect the main point of the biblical text? This kind of analytical listening starts with Bible open, head down, and ears perked.

4) Participate in the church gathering week by week | Hear sermons with God’s people as opposed to replacing attendance with listening to podcasts or TV/radio preachers. Christianity is not a private affair between just you and the Lord. The local church is a learning community. So, go to lunch with friends and talk about how to apply the sermon to your lives this week. Pray with each other asking God to empower you to change.

5) Do what the Bible says today— and rejoice! The local church is also a ‘doing’ community. James 1:22 says, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
 

I have to admit that the older I get, burying my head in the proverbial sand is more attractive. Maybe, I’m a coward. It’s my protection “mechanism” against information overload and the drag that comes with it. I can’t digest all the information coming at me. Plus, I fear the fatigue that comes with the letdown in the news. But don’t worry, that will become old news in a few hours or days!
Because every time we take our head out of the sand and come up for “refreshing” air, we realize danger and disappointment surround us. Often, we find out that another beloved hero or leader has fallen or some dirt has surfaced to tarnish their otherwise blissful and inspiring legacy. So, we choose to suffocate ourselves spiritually in the sand of our own heads by not wanting to hear or know anything that would change this sublime state.
Leadership failures and hero falls are becoming more quickly known and broadcast these days because of technology. But it’s not always the case for more historical figures that predated this ‘every person a journalist’ era.
Consider one of our Christian heroes: Horatio G. Spafford, a 19th-century Chicago lawyer whose legacy as a hymn writer was firmly fixed in the tragic loss he experienced of his four daughters on the Atlantic. He penned the beloved “It is Well With My Soul” as his confident acceptance of God’s promises and plan. This is usually where the story ends on Spafford. Yet, as is little known, it didn’t end well for him. Though he and his wife Anna were able to have 3 other children and adopted another later in life, Spafford, who was a member of the Fullerton Ave Presbyterian Church (in Lincoln Park, Chicago), adhered to quirky and maybe even quixotic or heterodox doctrinal views, such as universalism. He attempted to use his influence as a board member and elder of the church to fire the new pastor. He thought he would sway the vote, but a majority surprisingly showed up to vote. He lost by a large margin and stormed away from the church. Thankfully he didn’t go to infect another church. Wandering and worse off, he started his own sect that claimed itself purer than other churches. He became beholden to the coming of Christ in the land of Christ more than Christ himself. Having majored to a fault on end times theology, social justice issues, and strict entrance requirements to his group, he eventually moved his family to Palestine, where contracted malaria and died.  Anna, his wife, kept the colony and its activities alive for the rest of her life. Though it was well for a time for Spafford, it didn’t end well. Sad.
Now, if you’ve read this far and believe this unknown side of this hero story, you must be disappointed. Maybe you’ll never sing that song the same way again. Maybe you’d rather not trust your heart (and voice!) to another beloved songwriter or Christian leader because you’re afraid they’re just going to break it.
But that is where the good news comes in. Preaching to myself here, too, you must get the sand out of your head by reminding yourself of Christ, the Hero who can never disappoint. Most (if not all),  of the luminaries in the Bible have tarnished reputations. They all point back to Christ. Their lives are the black felt on which the diamond of our Christ shines purer and fairer.
If you need a human to prop up your faith, you should repent of trusting in anyone else for happiness or lasting encouragement. Humans, in so far as they are following Christ and persevering, are worthy of honoring and following, but we must never be surprised or ultimately crushed when something dark is exposed about their lives. If anything, we should be driven to pray for them (if they’re still alive) and ourselves. We should take to the Word for fresh courage and perspective and be slow to make hasty conclusions. Protect yourself first from our Christian cultural tendency of hagiography (a biography that idealizes a subject) and celebrity. And when the next Christian luminary in your life falls from your sky, “consider Christ who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted” (Hebrews 12:3).
 Take heart, my friend.
Christ is all.

“Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.”
(1 John 3:21–24 NIV)

In the previous post, we saw the first part of this passage on assurance from 1 John that God is greater than our self-condemning hearts. A confident relationship with your Heavenly Father manifests itself in our prayers. This confidence or boldness redefines the “blank check” we have for prayer. Instead of it being about us, it’s about him. Instead of cashing in as we typically would take this language, we ask, as James Boice says, with “an attitude in which the will of the one praying is subjected to the will of the Father.” Prayer is much more freeing when we are confident of what God thinks about us (v20) and when we are consciously living for God’s pleasure (v22). The possibility of assurance is further sealed because commandment keeping is a pleasure for us. Pleasing God is pleasing to us. It also signifies that God’s Spirit resides in you and you in God (24). How can you tell that you are keeping God’s commands? Let’s see those two simple commands God makes, which contribute to the believer’s assurance (v23): believe in Jesus and love others. Familiar, aren’t they? It’s because these same commands are the very words of Jesus found in John’s Gospel (see John 6:29). John the apostle is consistent with his Lord’s ethics.
Isn’t it ironic how quickly we affirm love for someone we can’t see while not loving people we can actually see (1 John 2:9-11; 4:20-21). This is John’s point in the whole letter. Love for the invisible God becomes plainly visible in how seriously we take his Word and how seriously we take others. The kind of love required of Christians is far beyond the natural capacities that God has commonly blessed the people of this world with. Because, on one end, it is internally and spiritually rooted: “The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him and he in them.” Yet, on the other end, it is externally manifested: “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers” (3:16). Earlier in that passage, it tell us how we can be assured of our salvation— “We know we have passed out of death into life because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death”(3:14).

Go ahead— throw some paint on your love for God. Love others, die to yourself, and love pleasing God according to his commands more than anything. You’ll find in the loving and the loss that you’ll be strangely—no, spiritually— strengthened and assured of Christ.

We naturally wouldn’t link the rigor of calisthenics with the malaise of dying. Calisthenics has to do with movement and fitness. It is an exercise. The question upon us—old and young— is how are we preparing to die? Simon Goulart was a pastor during the Protestant Reformation in Geneva, Switzerland, and a friend of John Calvin. In his Remedies Against Satan’s Temptations in our Final Hour,* Goulart encouraged his congregation to 'die well' by posing the following exercises:

1. Keep in mind the promises of the kingdom of God. They are “yes and Amen” in Jesus Christ and are for you. While the kingdom of God isn’t only about you, it does include you. Know the promises. Memorize them.
2. Battle continuously the temptations of Satan by means of the Word of God. That’s what Jesus did when he faced both the devil's enticements and the prospect of death in humble submission to God’s Word.
3. Pray that God will not allow you to be tempted beyond your strength. “Lead us not into temptation.” We have the promise from God in 1 Cor 10:13 that God won’t do this, but pray it and tell him that you trust him according to his promises.
4. Contemplate with the eyes of your faith Jesus Christ, humiliated and exalted for your salvation. This isn’t merely re-imagining the events of Jesus’ last week as if it were a superstition. It is the spiritual vision supernaturally given by the Holy Spirit to all who turn and trust.
5. Forgive those who have sinned against you. “As you have forgiven us.” Nothing like getting and staying ready to die, like letting go of bitterness and conflict. This kind of love wins into eternity.
6. Confess your faith and Christian hope. Your confession of faith in Jesus was not just a ‘one-and-done’ thing at conversion. This is as active as your feeble frame or frail tongue can muster the words. This bubbles and overflows within you like a fountain, even when your body is falling apart.
7. Commend your soul to God. Like Jesus, Stephen and others, entrust your soul to God to the very end.

*Thanks to Dr. Scott Manetsch’s book Calvin’s Company of Pastors for pointing out Goulart.

So goes an objection of many people whose religious experience has been jaded by the desperate pleas and manipulative ploys of churches or TV preachers. There is some merit to this suspicion, but if you’ve been around the church for a while or read the Bible much, you understand there is some obligation to give to the Lord. Two HUGE truths will shape your thinking about money and what the Lord “gets.” First, the Lord Jesus owns everything (Psalm 24:1). Christ’s lordship of your life means that he wants every bit of you, including your pocketbook. You are just a manager of whatever material resources he blesses you with. Second, we give because Christ gave (2 Corinthians 8:9). So…. Are we supposed to give as much as Jesus gave us? “Impossible!” you might say. These timeless truths don’t give us the formula for giving that we often crave. Our mentality often is: “God, just tell me what I need to do or how far I can (or cannot) go without sinning against you.”
David A. Croteau’s booklet Tithing after the Cross steered me away from the “How much” question to the: ‘“Where can I cut my budget so I can give more to God’s work?”’ question. Many causes are lining up for our limited resources (especially this time of the year). Why should we dare even think of giving more to the Lord? In one word: grace. If we spend time “soaking” in our Lord’s and his apostles’ teaching, we will discover that saving grace empowers us to serve and fuels us to generously give. The grace of God, in other words, produces an abundance of joy, generosity, and sacrificing ourselves to God and for others.

1. Study the following Scriptures— Matthew 6:19-34; 2 Corinthians 8-9; 1 Tim 5:17-18; 6:6-10, 17-19 (and there are many others!). Then, read Randy Alcorn’s tiny book The Treasure Principle to further challenge you about giving.
2. Rejoice continually in God’s grace to you!
3. Remember that you are eternally indebted to love God with all that you are.
4. Repent of your greed and/or misuse of God’s money.
5. Radically yet responsibly re-direct your spending so that God is honored.