Looking for a Home

My wife and I had been house-hunting for over a year, a search that mercifully and successfully ended this last month. It was a stressful and joyful learning process with twists and turns that one couldn't expect. After renting 2 small places for a total of 5 years, the house-hunt was completely different in focus.

We don't consider ourselves to be very particular or prissy types. Yet as we walked through dozens of homes, we were very critical, asking every question under the sun. Will we like having an east-facing door? Is the small property size a deal breaker? Can we fit enough people in this room? Will we have the additional resources to fix this place up? How important is a big kitchen? Is this bedroom too big? Too small? Are these windows/appliances too old? What is really important?!

The main difference in shopping for a house is the perception (often a reality) that this is a long-term situation. While renting, we were far less critical or "picky", if you will. Old kitchen? Who cares, it's a rental! Nasty carpet? No big deal, we'll move someday! Needs repairs? Call the landlord! The perception of a long-term, expensive residence makes one ask more questions, give more time, and think more deeply.

During this process, I was drawn to thinking about the reality that earth is not my home. Throughout the New Testament, I am told that as a believer in Christ, that my home is elsewhere. Philippians 3:20 says, "But our citizenship is in heaven..." Hebrews 13:14 likewise tells us, "For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come."

When searching for a semi-permanent residence here on earth, I gave the process more time, more energy, more thought, because it was more valuable. And through that process, God painted the picture that my effort and thought process should be even more intense for my heavenly, eternal home! If something is eternal, it is weighty, and it must be given appropriate attention and care.

My earthly tent of my body is my short term home. It is important, but my priorities and questions and efforts and resources should focus on the heavenly home where I will reside for eternity (mortgage-free).

Sanctifying Silence

“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” Psalm 46:10

One thing that we tend to lack today is silence. I had a great conversation over the weekend with a friend (who is also a high school teacher), and we were observing how today's teenagers are never just silent (This is true of adults as well). We, as I've written before, always have something to entertain us, always have somewhere to be, something to do, someone to see. This leaves very little silence in our lives, even though silence can be very productive. It allows us to think about deep issues, to pray through things that are troubling or exciting, and to connect with our God. I would go as far to say that a lack of silence in our lives inhibits us from knowing God deeply.

In the above, frequently-quoted verse, two things really stand out to me.

1. We often think of this verse as a "warm-fuzzy" verse. To "be still and know that I am God" conjures emotions mainly of warmth and safety. When we look at the rest of the Psalm, however, we see that we are called to know the God who "has brought desolations on the earth," "makes wars cease," "breaks the bow and shatters the spear," and "burns the chariots with fire." This same God is also "is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble," and "is our fortress" as well. So we see that we are to "know" God in his holy fullness.

2. Notice the order of the commands. "Be still and know..." God commands us to FIRST be still and silent, and then come to know him. I think that order is very critical in our pursuit of knowing Jesus. If we do not obey the first command- "be still"- we will have a hard time obeying the second command- "know that I am God."

Remember, Paul said that the most worthy goal in life is to know Christ (Phil. 3:7-10). And Psalm 46:10 seems to indicate that to know him properly, we must be still and silent. Let's make time in our lives this week for sanctifying silence.

Content Consumption

If your life looks anything like mine (and most of America's), you are constantly being presented content to consume. We have genius-phones and iPads and walkmans and apps and a billion ways to read, view, discuss, and consume content. The most popular websites are dedicated to this task as well (think facebook, Google, YouTube). For example, one morning this week, I grabbed my phone (while still in bed), shot off a few witty facebook comments, viewed what my friends were up to, scanned through some headlines via twitter, turned on the British Open and watched a few holes of golf, and texted a few friends with weekend plans. All from the bathroom. We are constantly consuming content.

It has been said "You are what you eat." And I believe that we can tie that principle to the content that we consume as well. You are the data you consume. What you consume is what you worship.

If what we consume is of utmost importance, I need to ask myself is where God's word falls on my list of content that I consume. Is it at the top of the list, constantly receiving my first time, my most dedicated time? Is it in the middle, something I casually tune into when convenient for me? Or does it not even make the list?

You've likely been interacting with content, data, news, blogs, stories, video clips, highlights, messages, music, and "+1's" since you rolled out of bed this morning. Let's make sure that above all else, before all else, more urgently than all else, and more frequently than all else, we consume God's word.

"Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good." 1 Peter 2:2-3.

A Monday Thought

"...all solid relationships are built on quid pro quo: doing something for someone who, in turn, does something for you."

In reading a business article this morning, I came across the above sentence. It indicates that relationships are give & take; that, you serve someone because you know they will serve you back. This view indicates that love and service to others is motivated by their love or service back to you.

While the above has some practical value in business relationships, it is not the principle of Christian relationships. Love takes joy solely in loving others; not for some favor that may be returned. To modify the above sentence...

"...all solid relationships are built on love: rejoicing in doing something for someone who, in turn, may or may not do something for you."

Ultimately, God is the perfect lover, and true love follows his example. "In this is love, not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (1 John 4:10). God's love was initiated not based on our love or service to him. Neither should our love for others be.

Persistent Prayer

Enjoy the below from John Wesley on being persistent in our prayers.

"Lord, teach us to pray" (Luke 11:1). Immediately after our Lord answered this request of His disciples, He showed them the absolute necessity of using prayer if we would receive any gift from God. 

He told the story of a man who begged his friend at midnight to get up and lend him three loaves of bread. Though his friend would not rise and give him because he was his friend, yet because of his troublesome persistence, his friend will rise and give him. Jesus said, "And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given to you."

How could our blessed Lord more plainly declare the means- persistently asking- by which we may receive of God what otherwise we should not receive at all?

"He spoke also another parable, to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not lose heart" (Luke 18:1) - to persevere until they receive of God whatever petition they have asked of him: "There was in a city a judge...and there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, 'Avenge me of my adversary.' And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, 'Though I fear not God, nor regard man; yet because this widow troubles me, I will avenge her'" (Luke 18:2-5).

Our Lord Himself made the application for those who cry day and night to Him: "I tell you that he will avenge them speedily" (Luke 18:8)."

What a penetrating truth- God doesn't answer lackadaisical prayers; he answers persistent ones.

Loving Jesus

A group from my church has been reading Francis Chan's Crazy Love. We have recently wrestled with the question, What does it mean to love Jesus? We talk loving Jesus alot, we sing about it in songs, and I know that many of us have experienced it, but how do we define it? Forgive me if the following raises as many questions as it does answers!

As I talk to fellow believers about our walks with the Lord, often time they say things are going well or not well because "I have (not) read my Bible and prayed daily." I often analyze my walk in the same way. Now these are good and necessary spiritual disciplines without a doubt, but we can't say that daily Bible time and daily prayer is the definition or sum of loving Jesus. Also the following verses and comments affect my thoughts...

John 14:15- "If you love me, you will keep my commandments..." This doesn't means that the essence of love is necessarily commandment-keeping. Or does it? It seems that commandment-keeping is a result of love for Jesus. For example, "If I love Kelley, I will pray for her..." Praying for her is not the sum or essence of love, but a result (or proof) that love is present. Maybe, maybe not?

1 John 5:3- "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome." Here it seems that John does equate love for Jesus with obedience/commandment-keeping. However, he adds that this obedience happens in such a way that it is not a burden! What does that mean? True love for Jesus, it seems, is obeying His commands- and being glad to do it! But then, if that's the case, how do we ever love Jesus through trials and hard times that are very "burdensome"?

1 Corinthians 13:3- "If I give away all that I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing." This seems to argue against many definitions I've heard of "agape" love, that it is simply and heartlessly choosing to sacrifice. Paul uses grand examples of willing sacrificial acts (giving away all possessions, giving oneself over to horrible death), but says that those crazy things can be done - without love.

I ask and struggle through all this because I am simply unsatisifed with equating my spiritual walk and love for the Lord with a few daily hoops to jump through. Feel free to comment.

Be Holy (don't just be thought of as holy)

God tells his people in no uncertain terms to "Be holy, for I am holy" (1 Peter 1:16; Lev. 11:14). It is obviously a command that we can't follow apart from God's grace. Nevertheless, it is a clear command for all followers of Jesus to actually be holy.


If you are anything like me, you care about what other people think of you. You and I struggle with valuing man and man's opinion over God and His opinion. In fact, I struggle with wanting people to think I'm holy. If I am to be brutally honest with myself, sometimes I don't care so much about actually being holy- rather, I care that others see me as holy. However, since those around me can't see my heart, my thoughts, and my desires, I can fool them into thinking of me as holy by a few simple tasks. Serve in the church, post a few Bible verses on twitter, and make friends with other holy people. God, on the other hand, I cannot fool with my faux holiness.


When we exhibit this attitude, it disgusts God. Jesus said to the Pharisees, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean" (Matthew 23:25-26).


That describes my sinful heart at times. If the outside of the cup is clean, and you think I'm holy, my spiritual mission is accomplished, and my work is done. That is simply detestable. What I must care about is actually being holy before God, regardless of whether others think of me that way or not! I paraphrase an old friend from The Master's College who said, "I'd rather be a holy man with no reputation than an evil man with a holy man's reputation."


How about you? Do you really want to be holy? Or do you simply care that others see you as spiritual? What does it mean to truly be holy before God?

Cultivating Humility in the Morning, Part 2

More from CJ Mahaney's "Humility" on practices in the morning that cultivate humility...If you missed the first post, find it here.

"The second daily item is this: Begin your day expressing gratefulness to God.


'Thankfulness,' Michael Ramsey reminds us, 'is a soil in which pride does not easily grow.' That's exactly right and we want to cultivate that soil. So from the outset of the day, I want to greet my Savior with gratitude, not grumbling.

It was said of Matthew Henry [famous pastor from the 1600-1700s] that 'he was an alert and thankful observer of answered prayer'; his gratitude for God's mercies was constantly 'sweetening his spirit, and he would often invite others to join him in giving thanks.' If you crossed Matthew Henry's path, you would quickly realize that here was someone taking thankful notice of all God was doing for him, and doing so in an attractively joyful way that was infectious.

How I want that to also be a description of me! Is this your desire as well?

What would happen if I crossed your path tomorrow morning? Would I encounter someone who was an alert and thankful observer of answered prayer, someone who in a pronounced way was grateful for God's many mercies?

We also want to continue throughout the day expressing gratefulness for the innumerable manifestations of God's grace. It's as if God is placing sticky-notes in our lives as daily reminders of His presence and provision. They're everywhere. How alert and perceptive of them are you? Are you a thankful observer of the countless indications of His provision, His presence, His kindness, and His grace?

An ungrateful person is a proud person. If I'm ungrateful, I'm arrogant. And if I'm arrogant, I need to remember God doesn't sympathize with me in that arrogance; He's opposed to the proud.

Let each of us recognize every day that whatever grace we receive from God is so much more than we're worthy of, and indescribably better than the hell we all deserve."

Cultivating Humility in the Morning

These gems come from CJ Mahaney's "Humility: True Greatness." In this practical little book, he gives a few tips for cultivating humility at the start of each day.

"How we begin our morning often sets the tone for the day. I'm convinced that the most decisive time of our day is very often our first waking moments, because they color everything to come.

The first daily item from my list is this: Begin your day by acknowledging your dependence upon God and your need for God. Purpose by grace that your first thought of the day will be an expression of your dependence on God, your need for God, and your confidence in God.

Sin- especially the sin of pride- is active, not passive. Sin doesn't wake up tired, because it hasn't been sleeping. When you wake up in the morning, sin is right there, fully awake, ready to attack. So rather than be attacked by sin in the morning, I've chosen to go on the offensive. I've chosen to announce to sin, 'I'm at war with you. I know you're there, and I'm after you.' From the moment I'm awake, I've learned to make statements to God about my dependence upon God, and in this way I'm humbling myself before God.

This is simply a strategy for taking control of the thoughts we allow in our mind...Martin Lloyd-Jones asked, 'Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself?' That's profound, and it's true.

Take a moment to review and examine your pattern of thinking from yesterday. Did you spend more time speaking truth to yourself, or was most of your time spent listening to yourself? Most of us spend more time listening to lies than we do speaking truth to ourselves. And the listening process usually starts as soon as we get up. The alarm has rudely interrupted the gift of sleep, and the listening begins. As we stumble through our morning routine, we're not directing the thoughts in our mind- we're simply at their mercy. We entertain complaints about what happened yesterday or worries about what's coming today. We look in the bathroom mirror and assess the damage, then brood over how we feel. We're not in charge of our thinking. We're just there.

But instead, you can declare war on pride by speaking the truth to yourself and set the right tone for your day by mentally affirming your dependence upon God and your need for Him."

Good stuff, eh? More to come from CJ later this week.

Thoughts for a Holiday...

A few random encouragements to practice on the awesomeness of a holiday!

1. Think about the job you are not at briefly, and thank God for the opportunity to work and support your family.

2. Thank God for extra rest, and remember that he himself set an example of rest by resting after he finished creating (Genesis 2:1-3).

3. Think of the rest we will receive in heaven, and look forward to it with anticipation. There is a rest for the people of God, and we enter it by obedience to Jesus (see Hebrews 4:1-13).

4. The word "holiday" comes from the phrase "Holy Day" and means a "day with special significance." It is a day set apart from all the other days for a special reason. Think of how you, as God's child, must be different and set apart, and be holy.

5. Think of the cultural reason for the specific holiday, and thank God for it. For example, thank God for the ability to work on Labor Day, the protection and sacrifice of soldiers on Memorial Day, our country's relative freedom on 4th of July, and Boxing Gloves on Boxing Day :) Of course, specifically remember his birth, life, and death on Easter, Christmas, and every other day.

6. Redeem the time. What is a way you can serve God, your family, your peers with the extra time off today? Yes, husbands, mowing the lawn or taking out the trash for your wife may be a great way to do this!

7. Grill something.

Just a Big Hole in the Ground

(written previously on that facebook thingy)


Some time ago, I visited the Grand Canyon in Northern Arizona with Kelley. For anyone who has seen this majestic sight in person, he or she can relate to the unexplainable feeling of awe and wonder that fills our finite imaginations at this beautiful sight.

One will often hear in regards to the Grand Canyon the sarcastic comment that it's "just a big hole in the ground." I got to thinking -- that's exactly what it is! When explaining this sight from a standpoint concerned only with physical matter, there is a vast absence of matter that creates a sizable hole in the ground. For miles and miles around the Grand Canyon, there is relatively flat land; yet, strictly  speaking, it is just a big hole in the ground.

So what then attracts humans from all over the world to this place? It is not physical matter, it is not science, it is not even history. It is beauty. It is majesty. It is glory. There is an unquantifiable, immeasurable reality of the beauty that our hearts enjoy when viewing a creation so vast, so glorious, so breathtaking, and so awesome in its splendor, that cries out that we were made for a great God. One simply cannot explain our universal attraction to places like the Grand Canyon without admitting that Someone has created natural beauty and deserves to be admired and praised for that creation. Science can attempt to posit the natural causes that formed the Grand Canyon; but science can never explain the beauty, the awe, and our sense of our own smallness when we visit the Grand Canyon.

Not only does the Grand Canyon in its splendor point to the existence of the one true God, but it also points to the GREATNESS of this God. Standing on the edge of a steep canyon wall that reaches downward for thousands of feet into beautifully colored rock makes us realize that we were not created for personal significance, and we were not created to live for ourselves. It's undeniable! We were created to worship and enjoy the only God who is truly significant! Our identity, our joy, our pleasure, our purpose, our lives must come from Him, and our lives must be lived to give Him glory and praise. That is why all humans love places like the Grand Canyon, or the Rocky Mountains, or cliffs overlooking the northern Pacific. We find true happiness, not when seeking to glorify ourselves, but only when we are seeking to glorify this Great God. Are we happy with displaying and enjoying this immensely beautiful God?

The Church: What if no one Yelped?

When planning an activity, date night, or a visit to an unfamiliar place, I use a few online tools to aid my research. Yelp and Trip Advisor are two of my favorite places to get ratings and reviews on local activities, restaurants, and lodging for wherever it is that I may be going. The websites provide basic info and listings (much like an old school phone book) on businesses: addresses, phone numbers, menus, prices, etc. But the most helpful part about sites like these is the user reviews. A hotel may look like a great place to stay until a recent user review points out the large cockroach infestation. A restaurant looks like the perfect setting for a date night, until a user reports the recent drop to a 'B' rating. These user reviews provide firsthand information and insight so that other users (like me) can make good & knowledgeable decisions.

When I visit Yelp and Trip Advisor, I do so selfishly. I only read others' reviews; I don't leave any of my own. The thought recently occurred to me, "What if no one left reviews?!" If everyone acted like me & didn't leave reviews, sites like these would lose their value.

I figure that many of us church-goers today have the same relationship with church that I do with Yelp. We attend when it is convenient for us, or when we want or need something specific, yet we never offer our gifts, experiences, wisdom, and insight to help other members of the community. We are content to use the church, but we are often too selfish to be used in the church. Yet the church as described in God's Word clearly mandates that all Christians use their gifts to serve the community: "As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 4:10-11).

If everyone treated Yelp selfishly & refused to leave reviews to benefit others, no one else would be served. Likewise, in the church, you & I are mandated to not merely show up, but to "Yelp" so that others in the community can glorify God. The church was not set up so that a few select people could carry the majority of the work of service. The church was meant so that "each one" who has "received a gift" could come not only to be served, but to serve. As Paul writes, "For the body does not consist of one member but of many...But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be?" (1 Cor. 12:14-31).

And so I encourage us this morning- how are you "yelping" at your local church? What gifts, talents, experience, and wisdom has God given you so that you can bless others? If you aren't active in your church, what would happen to your church if everyone had the same inactivity?

Get to Give

Sorry for my all-too-infrequent posts. It's been a busy summer on the road much of the time. Mom, I promise to write more.

I've recently been reading the life of David. The prequel to David's life begins with the birth of Samuel. As you may know, Samuel's mother, Hannah, could not give birth for a long time. Since she was 1 of 2 wives of Elkanah, she felt inferior to the other wife, as thought God had deliberately cursed her (this is a great reason why you should probably avoid polygamy!)

To make an average-length story average-length, Hannah prayed that God would bless her with a child. As part of her prayer, she vowed to God, "If you will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life (1 Sam. 1:11)." In Hannah's case, God granted her request upon the birth of Samuel. Yet she did not merely vow to give Samuel back to God in a spiritual or emotional sense. She actually gave Samuel physically to God. Samuel would live in the temple and serve and worship God alone. This young boy would not live day in, day out at home with his mother. Rather, because God had blessed her very specific request, she made good on her very specific promise, sacrificing the enjoyment of having her son at home with her in order that God and his worship could be furthered.

I ask for a lot of things. But not often do I ask for something for the sole purpose of giving it back to God. I've asked for a job, a place to live, a wife, a car that runs for longer than a few months AND has locks on the doors. But most of my requests are for, well, me. I get the job to pay MY bills. I got the car to drive MY butt around. My requests, though not sinful in and of themselves, are not the same as Hannah's.

Many times, we give to God so that we can eventually get from God. We serve, love, and sacrifice with only our own benefit in mind. Let's think about the things we ask for. Is there something we can request from God solely so we can give it back to Him in order to further his worship? In order to spread his gospel? In order to make his love more known in this dark world? I, all too often give so that I can get. We, like Hannah, must get from God so that we can give to God.

Simply Amazed

There are a few epic reasons why one would travel to Chino: Flo's Cafe, the Chino Prison, and the annual Chino Airshow. I have been to 2 of those 3 recently. At the 2010 version of the airshow, my dad, brother, and a friend and I enjoyed watching both older & newer planes fly for several hours.

Now, people enjoyed the Airshow for various reasons. Some enjoy the history, some enjoy the physics & science of flight, and some simply enjoy watching cool planes bank over a semi-redneck crowd. My dad is a lifelong employee in the aerospace industry, working for Rockwell (company that designed the Space Shuttle) and Boeing (maybe you've heard of them). He was intrigued by the physics & design of the planes flying. He enjoyed the physics, propulsion, drag, loads, and a bunch of other words that you & I don't care about. I, for one, did not care much for the specifics of the physics. I simply enjoyed getting buzzed by an F-16 or watching the massive C-17 steeply bank over the crowd. I didn't understand everything that went into those planes, but it did not limit my amazement and enjoyment of them.

I find that we can enjoy God and his word for these 2 different reasons as well. Sometimes, we enjoy the truth of his word by digging deep, studying hard, parsing verbs, or reading books written by dead people so we can understand the depth & specificity of the theology contained in passages and books of God's Word. I studied deep and hard throughout my undergrad program, and enjoyed what I learned from digging deep. This is the way my dad enjoyed the Airshow- by understanding and appreciating the physics, science, and bla bla bla, that goes in to flying large airplanes at great speeds.

However, there are also times when we may not dig deep, we may not study hard, but we can see the simple truth of God's word, and though we do not understand it in its entirety, we still stand in amazed worship. (This is the way I enjoyed the Chino Airshow.) Let me give an example. I recently taught on Psalm 18, and came across this verse: "God rescued me, because he delighted in me." David talks about how God rescued him from his many enemies (most notably Saul) on his ascension to the throne as God's chosen King of Israel. And there is enough scriptural support to say that this is how God delivers and treats all his children as well- "He rescues us [from sin, from hell, from trial & temptation], because he delights in us." It amazes me that a holy God can look at a wretchedly sinful mann like myself (and like David the adulterer & murderer) and "delight in me." That is truly a love that is too amazing to explain. Much like a jet going Mach 2, I don't understand the depths or all the implications of the love of God "which surpasses knowledge." But I can still stand simply amazed.

The Freedom that isn't Free

I have recently re-watched one of my favorite movies, Into the Wild. It is a story of a young man named Chris, recently graduated from college, who is seemingly obsessed with the idea of adventure of being free & isolated in "the wild." Though he has a family who misses him, and though he makes many friends who admire & love him along his journey to Alaska, he spurns their friendship for his adventure. For those who haven't seen it (but should), the movie portrays a very happy character once he reaches his destination- an isolated, beautiful location in Alaska. However, as time goes on, the loneliness sets in, and he wishes to be back in community. His wishes are denied, as the early spring creek he had crossed is now a rushing river, literally trapping him in the wild. To ruin the story further, he dies, thinking of the people he loved.


This movie, based on a true story, intrigues me for many reasons. I can relate to many aspects of the protagonist's life: an affinity for the outdoors, a recent college graduate, and, heck, our fathers both make a living in the aerospace industry! But more than that, Chris had an obsession. He dreamt long and hard about the freedom and vibrancy he would experience if only he were left alone, away from society, out in the wild. Yet, when he had finally achieved this "freedom" which he sought, it became a master to which he yielded his life. He had convinced himself that happiness lay in his idea of freedom; but his idea of freedom, he soon realized, wasn't really free, but just another form of slavery.


I wonder how often we do this with our lives. We fixate our minds on our ideas of freedom, happiness, pleasure, comfort, and purpose. We work hard for popularity, for money, for pleasure, or for possessions. We create false ideas of freedom and happiness by saying "I will be happy when ________________." Or "I will finally be free if _________________." Yet, even if you've lived as long as I have (which isn't very long), you soon realize that your idea of freedom or happiness really doesn't deliver in the long run. Sure, money can thrill us for a season, but soon we realize that Jesus' words ring true- "one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." We place our hope in pleasures, in power, and in life going exactly according to our plan. But soon, Solomon's conclusions when he tried the same thing come back to haunt us- "Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun."


Not many of these things I have in mind are "evil" in and of themselves. Heck, even in the movie, the idea of a trip into the wilderness can be a great thing! (If that were a sin, shoot, my dad would take Paul's title of "chief of sinners"). But when we fixate on them- a trip into the wild, getting away, happiness, sports, sex, popularity, promotions, possessions- the small creek in spring turns into a raging river in the summer, and our souls become trapped and dead. The only freedom that really is free, comes in drinking of the water that Christ gives. When we place our Creator's desires above our own temporal ones, we live as we ought to live. And though his desires for us feel like slavery for a time, in the long run, we realize that "his commandments are not burdensome" and true freedom has been found! 

What Wise Men Do

Christmas is a fun time of year. You get to dust off old Christmas decorations, buy red candles for your coffee table (first married Christmas), take some time off work, and buy gifts for those you love/like/know/dislike. But my favorite part of Christmas is.....dusting off the Bible characters that get neglected the rest of the year! Obviously, the Christian community (and American society, to some degree) more specifically recognizes the so-called "Christmas Story" during this time of year. It is without further adieu that I bring my voice to the table with the characters that have occupied much of my thinking this year, ah yes, the Magi ("wise men", to the layperson).

I give a hat tip to my professor, Dr. Varner, and you should read his very much more informative posts on the Magi here and here. He notes that the Magi were a special sect of religious men in the Persian society. They were not "kings" as the familiar song states, nor were there necessarily 3 of them (the Biblical text gives no number).  It is also very likely that they did not journey to Judea ignorantly. In Daniel 2:48, Daniel himself, a Jew in captivity in the east, was referred to as the leader of the "wise men." Therefore, it is likely that the wise men of Matthew's gospel had access to his Messianic prophecies and had expected the birth of the Jewish Messiah (Daniel 9:24-27). It is probable that they traveled several hundred miles and arrived up to 2 years after Jesus' birth. (Note that Matthew 2:11 tells us that they entered the "house" and saw the "child"- not "infant".) Lastly, the Bible text notes that they followed "his star," which was very likely God's Shekinah glory leading them to Jesus, the Messiah. If it were a real star (aster in Greek is a general word that could refer to any celestial appearance), it does not make sense why it would disappear, then reappear directly over the house where Jesus resided.

What strikes me most about this story is the two searches for the Messiah. The wise men have been searching for the Messiah, and when they see the toddler Jesus, they worship him. They give him gifts. They sacrificially bow down to Jesus as King. These Gentile worshippers, in some sense, fulfill the promise given to Abraham in Genesis 12- "In you all the families of the earth will be blessed." Yet along the way to the King of Kings, they stop and ask King Herod for directions. King Herod thus embarks on his own search for the Messiah. His reaction upon hearing of the Messiah's birth was not the humble, worshipful, and sacrificial reaction of the wise men. Herod, because he saw Jesus as a threat to his reign, his kingdom, his agenda, and his plans, tries to kill Jesus. Here we see the first of several murder attempts on Jesus' life. Jesus came to die. This was his explicit purpose from before the foundations of the world (1 Peter 1:19-20). But it would happen at his timing, not at the timing of the arrogant and selfish Herod the Great.

When I read the juxtapositions of these reactions, I cannot help of thinking of our own individual reactions to Jesus the King. Though most our culture assumes there are several inconsequential reactions to Jesus, there are really only two reactions, both of which are eternally consequential. One reaction stiff arms Jesus, viewing him as a hindrance to our selfish plans and desires for our lives. He claims to be King of all, but we do not allow him to be king of our own kingdoms. If we won't accept him as King, he will not be accepted as forgiving Savior alone. This reaction leads to futile living, and, ultimately, it leads to judgment. But the other reaction is quite different. The wise men sacrifice their time, money, and convenience. The wise men freely give their gifts. The wise men rejoice exceedingly at the presence of their Savior. The wise men worship the King. What will our reaction be?

Those I honor, in the eye of the Tiger

Obviously, the partially shocking news regarding Tiger Woods' hidden life is now world-wide headline news. And millions upon millions have given their opinion, mocked him or defended him regarding his actions, his injuries sustained in his "car accident", and his "apology." And I don't wish to comment much more on his situation, but these events did trigger something in my mind...

As someone who teaches regularly, I am always looking for comparisons, analogies, and examples, both positive and negative. And selfishly, I wish that some examples came out sooner so that I could have used them in a past lesson! A few weeks, I taught my high schoolers Psalm 15. It is a Psalm that describes the character of people who are close with God, those who "dwell on his holy hill."

In verse 4, David states of those who are close with God, "in their eyes a vile person is despised, but the honor those who fear the Lord." When news like Tiger's story breaks, which unfortunately happens all too frequently, it gives me an opportunity to analyze whom I honor, and to whom I grant my admiration. Sure Tiger can hit a golf ball far (and straight!) and Kobe can do things on the basketball court unimaginable to my stiff white self, but my admiration of such athletes and other celebrities must stop there. According to the verse, "a vile person" must in some sense be "despised" by followers of Jesus. We must rather, "honor those who fear the Lord."

So I honor those people. I honor my wife, who spends her days off school & work doing laundry, decorating, and cleaning (her favorite) just because "I want to give you a nice place to live." I honor my parents, who unselfishly raised 4 kids to learn God's word, live for Jesus, and love one another. I honor my pastor and family who, for some insane reason, allowed dozens of high schoolers to take over their home on a regular basis in hopes of building relationships and impacting their lives. It worked. I honor my RD, who sacrificed any notion of a comfortable life (or private dating life!), chose to move back into an all-male college dorm in his late twenties to help guide confused and seldom responsible men to honor Christ even in their young age. I honor Russ & Ann, a married couple at my church who seemingly have dozens if not hundreds of younger couples pass through their doors (and eat their food) in seek of counsel and love each month. These and more are the people I revere in my heart. They maybe can't mash tape-measure home runs, or hit fall-away jumpers in the NBA (though my dad can put the Space Shuttle in space, and that's kinda cool). They probably won't help push a product via endorsement. But they have skills in the arena that counts for eternity.

Obviously, many will critique & bash what Tiger and others like him have done, and deservedly so. My encouragement to us is that we also take time to "honor those who fear the Lord." These are the people whose posters I want hanging up in my garage. (That is, when I have a garage.)

How can you be humble and still "Love yourself"?

"You shall love your neighbor as yourself." -- Jesus, Matthew 22:39


Yesterday I taught on humility from Philippians 2:1-11. I was convicted by Paul's repeated urges to consider others more important than ourselves and to look out for others' interests above our own. I was then reminded of a devotional I heard a few weeks ago, that, sadly, I have heard several times. The main thrust of this devotional was that we must learn to "love ourselves" in order to be effective in this world. The above verse from Matthew was cited. "How can we love our neighbors as ourselves, if we don't first work on loving ourselves?"


Obviously our culture has much to say about self-esteem, self-confidence, self-trust, self-worth, self-love, self-self-self-self. But it seems to be that Jesus here is assuming that we already love ourselves. Our hearts are self-inclined naturally. We always seek good for ourselves, since we think that we do not deserve pain, suffering or wrong. Consider in the verse above that Jesus does not command us, "You shall love yourself." Rather, the explicit command is, "You shall love your neighbor." It seems that in our arrogance we love ourselves so much we want to see it commanded by Jesus, so we force it into the text! (...fail...)


Which answers my question, "How can you be humble and love yourself?" No, humility can self-love cannot co-exist. Self-love is the root of sin. Eve saw that the fruit was good for her. Cain was angry because he felt that he deserved better regard. And on it goes. Sin comes from self-love, and holiness comes from God-love. 


I do not claim to be an expert in the social sciences (or an expert in anything, for that matter!) Any thoughts on self-esteem, self-love, self-worth?


"Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life" (John 12:25).

Preaching and Monkey Bars

This one may insult your intelligence. Or compel you to insult mine.

Why do we focus so highly on preaching in our churches? Pastors spend hours a week preparing and studying and praying, and our churches spend nearly half of their Sunday mornings listening to God's Word being (I hope) accurately taught.

It is clear that preaching is a primary focus of the church. I won't document it here, but from Acts 2:42-47 to the Pastoral Epistles, it is clear that churches should preach God's word, and Christians should listen and feast on God's truth. My first thought is, "Isn't it strange that God set things up this way for his church? Sitting and listening on a Sunday?" A second thought is, "What is the purpose and effect of regular preaching for our churches?"

Paul said to Timothy, "Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers" (1 Timothy 4:16). Now it is clear from the context that much of Timothy's congregation ("hearers") were believers. Certainly, some weren't, but many were. Yet Paul's encouragement is that Timothy persist in his teaching so that he "will save" himself and those who listen! While I won't get into the "Can I lose my salvation issue here" (You can research that for yourself here), it is notable that Timothy is encouraged to preach so that all his hearers (and himself) would be saved!

We need God's grace everyday- without it, we would each certainly "make a shipwreck of our faith" and turn away from Christ. It is only the beauty of his grace that keeps us. And a hose that he sprays his grace out of is faithful, inspiring, passionate preaching of His word.

This thought literally enters my mind at least weekly. I envision my life as a trek through a long line of monkey bars (you don't need me to tell you how these work do you?) I grab daily onto God's grace, cling for dear life, and swing to the next promise, truth, revelation, conviction that God uses to hold me up day in and day out. Preaching is God placing a 'monkey bar' in front of us on a regular basis. We need grace, we need truth to sustain, we are losing momentum and ready to fail, and we need truth to hold onto. So God, through pastors like Timothy (and your pastor!), presents truth to you on a regular basis to sustain you and keep you held up by his grace.

As Jeremiah wrote, "His mercies (aka 'monkey bars') are new every morning."

Believing Correct Theology & Doctrine- Don't Injure your Heart!

For those of you who don't know, I went to a conservative Christian college (The Master's College) and majored in Biblical Studies. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there, especially the community I developed in the dorms. Undoubtedly, discussions would arise on many topics- funny movie quotes, sports arguments (most of which were better than your local sports talk radio!), or stupid prank ideas (we once gave a false fire evacuation of our dorm at 2am. During the crazy Socal wildfires that were within miles. Not a good idea.). But theological discussions were a unique part of my college experience, and a part that has carried on into my "real adult" life.

Now, many issues are "gray areas" and are definitely to be handled with grace. But ultimately, the Bible must be our authority. What God's word says, goes, no questions asked! One issue seems to hinder some (myself included) from accepting what the Bible seems to clearly say-the "practicality" of believing certain doctrines that are hard to accept.

For example, let's say that the Bible clearly teaches something hard to accept- that God is sovereign and in control over "all things," including the salvation/conversion of humans. And let's say that I (or another in your life) bring up clear passages of Scripture to show this to be true (Romans 9, for example). If someone is not inclined to accept this teaching, I have come across (and myself have given) a few responses listed below:

- "Believing this is not a matter of salvation, so it doesn't matter what I believe about God's sovereignty, the end times, etc."

- "This doctrine does not affect how I live my daily life, how I parent, how I act at work, etc."

- "Well I don't think God would do that in that way. That doesn't seem fair."

These any many other unexpressed reasons have prevented me from accepting what God is saying in His word. And maybe, the reasons are relatively true at times- adhering to "Calvinism" or "Cessationism" or "Premillenialism" or "any-other-ism" is not a matter of salvation at all. And, forgive me if I'm wrong, but I have not killed any sin lately with the sword of "literal 6-day creationism" in my hands! So these reasons may seem true and valid on the surface. But...

What I believe is at stake in believing correct theology is the health of the spiritual muscle known as your "heart." Let me illustrate. In this article here, the cause for many bodily injuries related to exercise is determined to be "degenerative conditions." What this means is that your body accumulates tension in bones, joints, tendons, etc. over time, and eventually, the smallest action (like sneezing) causes an injury. A second cause of exercise-related injury is doing an exercise wrong. You may "curl" alot of weight, but you are also killing your back over time by performing the curls with the improper fashion! These improper actions overtime harm your muscles.

Likewise, our heart is our most important muscle. What is at stake in believing correct & biblical theology is the health of our heart. The primary function of our heart is to submit to God and His word. This means that when we "work out" our muscle correctly in regards to believing biblical doctrine, we are strengthening the very muscle that must submit to God when temptation arises. But when we reject a hard teaching from God's word because "it is not a matter of salvation," we are weakening the heart- we are performing "curls" in the wrong way and harming our muscle! We desire to strengthen our hearts to submit to God's word. If we brush off God's Word in the area of biblical theology, we are more likely to brush off God's Word when temptation comes our way! Is there something biblical that we either ignore or reject? Is there a topic that we are inclined to steer clear of, because it's "too hard," "too controversial," or "too deep"? Or do we strive to align both our actions and our beliefs under the authority of God and His Word?

So, my encouragement to you and to myself is to "guard your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the issues of life" (Proverbs 4:23). We want to be believers, as the Psalmist says, who "incline our hearts to perform your statutes forever, to the end" (Psalm 119:112). May we not 'exercise' our hearts in a harmful area just because we can't see or feel the effects now. We may be injuring the most important muscle God has given us.