Ordinary

Missionaries are ordinary, everyday people. I grew up thinking they were superspirtual: that they didn't need money to live on because they had an extra dose of Jesus and that their kids were delighted to receive old clothes and ragged toys because they were somehow "different". Now I know better. I fall under the category of "missionary," and I have one of those kids who is supposed to be different but really isn't. I thought becoming a missionary meant that I would have great stories to tell that would wow my Christian friends back home. My story however, is of an ordinary person, struggling to learn a foreign language, frustrated because there is no such thing as privacy where I live, and battling thoughts of criticism directed toward the people I am here to love. And my story is also about how God is changing this everyday gal, from the inside out, to live a life of divine proportions. Mine is a marvelous story because He brought me all the way to East Asia to show me that I am complete in Him. He is teaching this weak individual, with human limitations and hang-ups, that His power truly is manifested in weakness. God's promises become real as I encounter the world outside or as I crack open the language book to study. I am learning that it is not just about victories. It is also about obedience that costs, unrecognized sacrifices and unanswered questions. Ultimately, it is about following Christ. -Worker in East Asia. 

Monday Morning Humor

Monday Morning Humor

The Supremacy of Christ

It Is Well With My Soul

Wealthy lawyer Horatio Spafford loved Jesus and was committed to him. He was a Christian and model businessman who lived what he believed in his everyday life. He was the kind of man you would expect God to richly reward for his faithfulness and his generosity. But in the 1870s, things started going badly.

Spafford's four-year-old son lost a battle with scarlet fever just about the same time the the Great Chicago Fire destroyed most of his real-estate investments.

Because of the sudden turmoil brought on by these double tragedies, he decided to take his wife and four daughters on a vacation to England. He knew that the whole family needed some space to recover from the loss of his son and part of his fortune. He booked passage on the Ville du Havre to take him and his family to Europe for their much-needed holiday.

Just before the vessel was to depart, Spafford got word of an urgent business matter that needed his immediate attention. Rather than spoil his family's vacation, he opted to send his wife and four daughters ahead on the ship to England while he traveled back to Chicago to take care of business. As soon as the crisis was evaded, he planned to make his way back to the coast and board the next available ship to England.

One week later, while Spafford was still in Chicago and his wife was in Wales, he received an unusual telegram. The words caused a flood of grief to come over him, even worse than the grief of losing his lifelong investments and his four-year-old son. His wife had sent six simple words: "Saved alone. What shall I do?"

Horatio Spafford must have felt as if his heart stopped beating.

His wife was one of the few survivors of a collision between the Ville du Havre and the Loch Earn. The Ville du Havre sunk in only 12 minutes. The ocean crash claimed the lives of their four daughters and 222 others. Mrs. Spafford survived only because her unconscious body somehow landed on a buoyant slab of wood. Her final memory was of a wave crashing up over her and overpowering her grip on one of her young daughters.

In a few sweeping moments, Spafford had lost all five of his children and much of his fortune. He immediately left for Europe. While en route to Wales, the captain notified him when the ship was near the place where his four daughters had perished. He later recounted the moment...

I was deeply agitated... but I could not (tell myself) my four little girls (were) buried there at the bottom of the ocean. Involuntarily, I lifted my eyes to heaven. Yes, I am sure they are there-on high- and happier are than if they were still with me. So convinced am I of this that I would not (want), for the whole world, that one of my children should be given back to me.

During this difficult season of Horatio Spafford's life, he wrote the humn, "It Is Well with My Soul."
*Honestly by Johnnie Moore

Monday Morning Humor

Two years, Ten Lessons

Well, today (June 5th) is our second anniversary. Hardly a week goes by without someone reminding me how lucky (in a Calvinistic sense of course) I am to have the wife I do. Much better than I deserve.

Since this week is our anniversary week, I'd thought I would share ten things I've learned about marriage. Guys, feel free to take notes. Honey, I know I still have more to learn.

10) Make her laugh. A marriage without humor is like oatmeal without brown sugar: it might still be good for you, but it's basically congealed mush. If you've stopped laughing, you may have started hardening.

9) Watch TV together. Julia and I love snuggling up next to each other and watching our favorite shows. It is hard to beat spending an hour holding Julia as she closes her eyes from the intense parts of NCIS or Criminal Minds. Suspenseful TV shows = great cuddling!

8) Talk. Talk about your day. Talk about your plans. If you have feelings, talk about those too. Respond to her communication with more than nods and hmms. And don't say "interesting" if you aren't really listening. You'll get yourself in trouble.

7) Pay attention to details. Your wife wants you to notice when she has gotten a haircut, her nails done or even bought new earrings. Also, be a man and take care of her car. (If you are like me, it's OK to take it to a garage and let someone else change the oil, but, you should be the one to know it's time to change the oil). If she makes dinner than do the dishes. Paying attention to the details informs her that you care.

6) Buy gifts. Get her something for Christmas, Valentine's Day, her birthday and her anniversary. Consider Ground Hog's Day and Arbor Day just to be safe. She may tell you she doesn't need anything. And with some wives, she may even mean it. But don't find out if she does.

5)  Say "I'm sorry." Be specific and don't make excuses. Try to see things her way. If you were only half wrong, own up to your half of the wrong. And when she owns up to her half, give her grace, give her a hug, and move on.

4) Date Night. We have made it a habit to go on a date at least one night a week. The date doesn't need to be fancy or expensive just a time to get away and reconnect. Be creative!

3) Be intimate. Take your time! Light the candles. Enjoy each other. Cuddle and have fun.

2) Pray. Make it a habit to spend time each day in prayer. It has well been said that the couple which prays together stays together.

1) Lead. Don't talk about leading, just lead. A lengthy discussion on the meaning of kephale will fascinate a few wives, but almost all wives appreciate a husband's gentile leadership. Ask her to pray. Say "let's." Take initiative. Don't shy away from hard decisions. Be a man.

Happy Anniversary Julia. And no, this blog is not your only present.

Monday Morning Humor

Lessons from the Janitor closet

Over the past two years I have been working hard to obtain my Master's degree from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. My mind has been stretched and challenged in every class; however, the greatest lessons I have learned while in Seminary did not come from the classroom but rather while working at night as a janitor. I have worked as a janitor for the past two years. I have swept, mopped, vacuumed, dusted, unclogged toilets, replaced toilet paper, and cleaned more windows than I care to remember. Throughout the course of my time as a janitor I have learned seven lessons which I would like to share with you....

7) Laughter is the best medicine: I can remember nights when a toilet would overflow leaving toilet paper and other unmentionables covering the bathroom floor and I would have to clean everything up. I remember breaking down dozens of cardboard boxes every night. In the midst of all the crap and boxes sometimes all you can do is laugh. Life moves pretty fast and crap is sometimes found everywhere you turn; but remember; that no matter how much crap is in your life; laughter is truly the best medicine.

6) Hard work is good for the soul: There would be nights when I did not want to go into work. I wanted on several occasions to call into work and quit; however, I went to work because my family needed the income. I learned to take responsibility for my work. I took ownership for the building which I was entrusted to clean and I worked hard to ensure that each night that building was cleaned from top to bottom and ready for the next morning. I learned that most everything in life worth doing is hard; however, hard work is good for the soul. 

5) Humility, Humility, Humility: God will use funny ways to humble His servants. I did very well in school and received high marks on all of my assignments. There would be days when I would feel as if I was the smartest man to ever attend Seminary, without fail on those days God would humble me. I was humbled through cleaning toilets and being looked down upon by the dentist's in the office. God used my job as a janitor to keep me humble and down to Earth.

4) Replace toilet paper so that it rolls up and over: I realize this is an age old debate and many good men and women disagree. Take it from a janitor who has changed thousands of toilet papers; if you want your toilet paper to last longer make sure it rolls up and over.

3) It's about towels not titles: Pastor Dwayne Carson used to always tell us at Liberty that it's about towels not titles. He wanted to emphasize the fact that our lives as leaders should be about serving others. I must always remember that no matter how many degrees I may obtain or my position of leadership I am not above cleaning toilets. As a leader I must get down on my hands and knees in order to clean toilets and serve those I am leading. It's about towels not titles!

2) All of life is sacred: When I first entered Seminary I wrongly believed that what I was doing throughout the week in school mattered more to God than my employment as a janitor. This thought was wrong! God cares about how well I clean. All of life is sacred. Abraham Kuyper said, "there is not one square inch on planet Earth over which the risen Jesus does not say mine." I learned to clean toilets to the glory of God!

1) Worship is a 24/7 matter: Worship is not merely, or even mainly, what I do on Sunday morning. Worship is a "24/7" matter. I learned that we worship God when we give ourselves to Him in service. We worship God when we show love to others, when we do our jobs faithfully and with integrity. God wants us always to be bringing glory to Him by the way we live. I learned to work hard as worship to God.

Book Review: Real Marriage

Do not read this book! Yes, there are many reasons why many of you should strongly consider never reading this book. The Driscolls say this at the beginning of chapter 10:


If you are older, from a highly conservative religious background, live far away from a major city, do not spend much time on the Internet, or do not have cable television, the odds are that you will want to read this chapter while sitting down, with the medics ready on speed dial.

I think the Driscolls were too nice. Instead of sitting down they should have recommended for you to just give the book to someone else who does not fit their description. Additionally, if you believe you have the spiritual gift of criticism, this book will give you too much ammunition. You won’t be able to handle all the ways you could criticize this book.

If you have heard negative things about this book, it is probably related to chapter 10. The people who criticize this chapter are most likely the people who were never meant to read this book.

Please, make sure you read this book. Yes, there are many people who should, no, who need to read this book.  Our culture is sexually messed up. Yes, many generations and many cultures throughout history treated sex in ways dishonoring to its Creator. Technology is being used today by many people to make fringe images, thoughts and behaviors mainstream.

Here is a quick non-exhaustive list of the people who need to read this book. If you: have been addicted to pornography; lived with your spouse before marriage; were sexually mistreated as a child; see women as sexual objects more than individual people; experimented with bi-sexuality; have been involved in sexting; do not see your spouse as attractive; struggle with how to live as a monogamous Christian in a sex-charged atmosphere; have had an abortion; admit to yourself that you struggle with lust; are ashamed of things you did before marriage; are having struggles in your marriage; have been divorced; are under the age of 30…  If one or many of these things describe you than this book is definitely for you.

The Gospel does not change. The message is the same. The methods of teaching the Gospel, however, should always be contextualized. This is why every local church is gifted by the Holy Spirit with at least one teacher. This is why every good teacher will contextualize their messages to their audience. The Driscolls have written a book contextualized to a new generation desperately in need of God’s way forward. If you think marriages are in trouble today, imagine all these junior high kids with naked images of their girlfriend on their phone, getting married one day and trying to figure out how to have a God-honoring marriage. This is the book I will recommend to them.

The Driscolls surprised me by getting into quite a bit of Church history. They discuss several church fathers and then spend time having us learn from Martin Luther’s marriage and the unfortunate marriage of John Wesley. The Driscolls, additionally, spend a lot of the book using themselves as the positive and negative example. This will be refreshing for many post-Christians and postmoderns.

Chapter 10 is the chapter most people are talking about.  The chapter is entitled, “Can we _____?”  Yes, this chapter is very in-depth. I’ve never read 2 1/2 pages on anal sex and I don’t ever want to again. But I admire the way they discussed the sensitive issues in this book. Their tone was professional, biblical and medical.  I felt like I was hearing a straightforward medical presentation of the biblical pros and cons of many issues couples might quietly discuss but never have the confidence or ability to actually ask an expert.
Yes, Mark Driscoll can be crass. There are a few times in the book where his crassness made me laugh.  For example on page 153 where he is talking about pornography he states, “Sure, the naked people you like looking at are hot…but so is hell.”  Come on, that’s concise, profound AND humorous in a weird way that made me laugh out loud.  In chapter 10, however, where you expect him to go way over the line and not be a wise, tactful Christian leader, he is not crass.  Some will disagree on his inclusion of some topics, but I found it hard to criticize the way he discussed the topics.

My biggest criticism with the book was actually with the last chapter on Reverse Engineering.  I think the concept in the chapter could have been very helpful, but I felt the chapter was underdeveloped and out of place in this book.  I’m familiar with Driscoll’s idea of “Reverse Engineering” your life.  I’ve heard some great stories of how people have made major life changes due to reverse engineering. Someone knows exactly where they want to end up and then works backward figuring out all the steps needed to get from point A to B. I did not, however, feel like they adequately illustrated the chapter to allow people to see what they were trying to communicate.  If I were to suggest any improvements to the book I would only ask them to spend more time finishing the book with a bang instead of tapering off.  Let me see how this concept of reverse engineering practically helps people live out the rest of the book.

All-in-all make sure you do not read this book.  Or, make sure you read this book as soon as possible.
*Book Review: http://www.reclaimingthemind.org/blog/2012/03/book-review-real-marriage/

Monday Morning Humor

Monday Morning Humor

What we believe:

Over the past few weeks Christians have done a good job at explaining to the public what they do not believe about sex. We have shared what we are against but I have heard little about what we are for. Below are seven truths Christians believe about sex...

1) God created us male and female in His image and likeness with dignity, equality, value and worth. Men and women are different and complement one another.

2) Love is more like a song than a math equation. It requires a sense of poetry and passion to be any good at it, which is why people who are stuck in their heads struggle and are frustrated by it, and lovers prefer songs to syllogisms.

3) Marriage is for one man and one woman by God's design. This is the consistent teaching of the Bible from the table of contents to the appendix and the teaching of Jesus Christ Himself.

4) God created sex. God made our bodies "very good" with "male and female" parts and pleasures. When our first parents consummated their covenant, God was not shocked or horrified, because He created our bodies for sex. The reason sex is fun, pleasurable, and wonderful is because it is a reflection of the loving goodness of God, who created it as a gift for us to steward and enjoy.

5) Sex outside of marriage is a sin. Sinful sex includes homosexuality, erotica, bestiality, bisexuality, fornication, friends with benefits, adultery, swinging, prostitution, incest, rape, polygamy, polyandry, sinful lust, pornography, and pedophilia. For married people, the following acts with anyone other than your spouse qualify as sin: masturbating someone else, oral sex, anal sex, heavy petting, dry humping, cyper-sex, and phone sex. In the New Testament, the Greek work porneia (from which we get the word pornography) is translated into English as "sexual immorality" and encompasses all sorts of sexual sins. It is frequently used as a junk drawer in which every sort of perversion is thrown because people are prone to invent new ways of doing evil.

6) Sex is to be done in such a way that there is no shame. Many people experience shame in regard to sex. Sometimes shame is a gift from God in response to our sexual sin, sometimes it is the devastating feeling we bear because we have been sexually sinned against, and other times we have not sinned or been sinned against sexually but feel shame because we have been thinking and feelings about sex in general, or a sex act in particular. We must remember that the marriage bed should be without shame. In marriage, husbands and wives are allowed to enjoy each other in almost any way they can imagine; unless it brings shame on a spouse or involves another party outside of the marriage.

7) Your standard of beauty is your spouse. God made one man and one woman. He did not ask them if they wanted someone tall or short, light or heavy, pale or dark skinned, with long or short hair. In short, He did not permit them to develop a standard of beauty. Instead, He gave them each a spouse as a standard of beauty.
One of our culture's powerful lies-fueled by pornography, sinful lust, and marketing-is that having a standard of beauty is in any way holy or helpful. God does not give us a standard of beauty-God gives us spouses. Unlike other standards of beauty, a spouse changes over time. This means if your spouse is tall, you are into tall. If your spouse is skinny, you are into skinny. If your spouse is twenty, you are into twenty. When your spouse is sixty, you are no longer into twenty, but rather into sixty. And if your spouse used to be skinny, you were into skinny, but now you are into formerly skinny. We are to pour all our passion and pursuit of sexual pleasure into our spouses alone, without comparing them to anyone else in a lustful way.
*Taken from Real Marriage by Mark & Grace Driscol

He still reigns:

Last night President Obama in an ABC interview expressed his support of gay marriage. He said, "At a certain point, I've just concluded, that for me, personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married." President Obama's interview and support of gay marriage should not come as a shock; because, his stance recognizes a growing support for homosexual marriages in America. According to a Gallup Poll released on Tuesday, 50% of the American population is in support of gay marriage and 48% of Americans are against it. Homosexual marriage stands in stark contrast to the Bible; which teaches that marriage is God's creation and God's design for marriage is between a man and a woman. 

President Obama's remarks last night are troublesome and should drive us to our knees to pray for the state of our country; however, his remarks should not make us fearful. We should not fear because regardless of President Obama's stance, society's acceptance of a sinful lifestyle, or the seemingly imminent persecution for taking a stance on this issue; God is still on His throne. God did not abandon His throne last night. No, God was on His throne when the universe was created. He was on His throne when dinosaurs roamed the earth. He was on His throne during the Neronic and Domitian persecutions in Rome. He was on His throne when the English arrived in America and established the Plymouth colonies. He is on His throne when Muslims persecute Christians and He will be on His throne long after all of us have departed from this planet. John Piper says, “God will be on His throne ten trillion ages from now when all the puny potshots against his reality will have sunk into oblivion like BB’s at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.”

Regardless of what happens, regardless of whether or not every member of society accepts a sinful lifestyle GOD will still be on His throne. God will still be ruling and reigning from Heaven. In a brief 110 years this planet will be populated by a brand new set of people and all seven billion of us alive today will have vanished off the earth. But not God! He never had a beginning and therefore depends on nothing for His existence. He always has been and always will be alive and on His throne.

Tough and Tender

As men we are called to be like Jesus. Being a man like Jesus is about being tough and tender.

As men, we are to be tough in defending the weak, oppressed, abused, and poor, fighting for justice and mercy. We are to be tough (and honorable) when competing in business because we are competing in order to feed our families. We are to be tough in defending truth and combating false teaching and error. We are to be tough with stiff-necked, hard-hearted men who bully others around. We are to be tough in carving out safety and protection for women and children in a world that abuses them.

As men, we are to be tender in comforting the hurting, encouraging the downcast, and teaching the simple. We are to be tender with our wives, loving them as Christ does the church. We are to be tender with our children, kissing them on the head, often telling them we love them, and providing continuous assurance that we truly consider them gifts from God. We are to be tender with those who are already broken by their sin and needing godly counsel and help.

The key to understanding masculinity is Jesus Christ. Jesus was tough with religious blockheads, false teachers, the proud and bullies. Jesus was tender with women, children, and those who were suffering or humble. Additionally, Jesus took responsibility for Himself. He worked a job for the first thirty years of His life, swinging a hammer as a carpenter. He also took responsibility for us on the cross, where He substituted Himself and died in our place for our sins. My sins are my fault, not Jesus' fault, but Jesus has made them His responsibility.

You may not be physically strong, or tough. But if you are rightly tough and tender, and you take responsibility for yourself and others, then you are truly a man's man, a godly man, and by grace you are being conformed into a man like the perfect God-man, Jesus Christ.
Taken from: Real Marriage by: Mark and Grace Driscol

Monday Morning Humor