Pax per Pugna

The Rest of Summer

2009-07-27T08:01:00.000-07:00

What a hiatus! Not that anyone really missed my blogging, obviously, but still! We've been so incredibly busy with everything at NEXT, Providence, and life, in general, that blogging has been an afterthought for the past months. Well, since March, as you can see. Now, with summer gradually winding down and us Wileys finding a new rhythm to life and family in our new home in McKinney, I'm finding more time to posit thoughts.

"The Rest of Summer" may appear to be the title of an article about what's going on with Carrie, Laura Kate and I the rest of this fine summer of 2009, but it's certainly not that. Summer, as far back as I can remember, has always been a time of rest from the usual grinds of school and whatnot. Even in ministry, when you have to kick it into a higher gear because of all the events you do during the summer (mission trips, camps, weekly contests, etc.), there is this weird sense of things being at relative rest.

This summer, though, has been anything but restful. From the move to NEXT trips to raising support to meeting with men from Providence on a weekly basis and teaching, things have been stressful, tense, and trying. There has been none of the relative ease of most summers, and it's something that I've missed. Most summers have the feel of a sip of cold sweet tea... everything just kind of slows down a little bit. How I pray for this feeling for the rest of the summer!

I don't want things to necessarily slow down or want to slack off, but I (and many of us) need to remember Matthew 11v.28 - "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." Christ is speaking from a spiritual perspective, when it comes to religiosity, but how desperately many of us need to be reminded that this peace and rest is for every facet of our lives. The peace that Christ gives his people is for every part of their life. So, if you are swamped with business, you have peace in Christ. If you are worried about financial problems, you have peace in Christ. If things are not going well in your family, your energy bill is through the roof, you're not getting enough time to get away and relax... find peace in knowing that we are secure in Christ and that, ultimately, we have rest in him.

Easier said that lived out and practiced, but it's always good to preach these things to yourself!

Building the Yoke

2009-03-12T08:37:00.000-07:00

I remember hearing Matthew 11v.30 when I was about five or six and being kind of grossed out. In it, Jesus states, "... for my yoke is easy and my burden light." Y-O-K-E. This should probably be explained well to little kids, who think that for some reason, Jesus is going to dump egg on them. The thought of heavenly golden yolks being dumped on me and made into some sort of supernatural omelet weirded me out.

Then came third grade and learning about oxen while playing the super-fun computer game "Oregon Trail." Towing my wagon across the continental United States and its western territories were oxen whose yokes would continually break, costing me numerous loads of imaginary dollars.

In eighth grade, as I really began to be fascinated by apologetics and how what I believed as a Christian stacked up against the religions of the world, I learned that, in Judaism, a rabbi would "place his yoke" upon his students. This really just meant that he would teach them his particular view and theology about God, the Jewish faith, and life in general.

In college, I learned about two muscle-oriented types of yoke: a "Farmer's Yoke" in Strongman Competitions and the fact that the connected muscles of the neck, trapezius, and upper lats are called the "yoke."

You may be asking, "Why all this talk of yokes?"

In the midst of hardship, it is vital that we (Carrie and I) remember our teammates in this ongoing work with NEXT Worldwide. We're planting churches, seeing people come to know the Gospel and beginning to be discipled, witnessing countless students' worldviews changed and even seeing pastors come to see their congregants and what the Lord is doing around the world in a different light. But we're doing this together, with many of you. We are part of an incredible team that the Lord began putting together last January.

II Corinthians 6v.14 - "Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers." We are yoked together with some incredible people. We are moving forward step by step, even when we're having to slog it out through difficult times. It is during these times and knowing this that we are still able to rejoice. Carrie and I know that we're not the only ones straining at the yoke, but we're blessed to know that there are so many others straining with us.

Nahum 1v.13 - "I will break his yoke from you and will burst his bonds apart." There is no yoke of this world that can hold back the tide of the Gospel moving forward. We experience this when we are saved (the yoke of sin and its fetters are completely broken), but also in the realization that we are part of such an incredible community, known as the Church.

Lamentations 3v.27 - "It is good for a man that he bear yoke in his youth." Although things can seem so burdensome for many of us fighting to move the Kingdom forward, this yoke is actually building us up. The Sovereign Lord has deemed a time for us to be strengthened and encouraged, even though it might be painful at the time. We build and we struggle in order that the Lord's glory may be seen in everything we do.

We constantly need to remember what types of yoke there are in our lives. The yoke of sin has been broken from around our necks. The yoke of team-work allows us to move forward together. The yoke of sanctification is heavy for a time, but allows us to grow.

"...my yoke is easy and my burden light." Although this may not always seem the case, we know that, in Christ, this is nothing but the truth. These things that we struggle with and feel so depressed and weighed-down by, are momentary. We will soon feel the sweet release of its breaking and the freedom of the strength that the Lord has grown in us.

Armor in the Tent

2009-03-04T09:50:00.000-08:00

There are certain men, in my life, who are mentors to me without even really knowing it. These are men who I would drive hours just to have a cup of coffee with. Guys who I'd cut an hour out of anything other than being with my wife and daughter for. Men who I admire and want to be like and have a lot of influence over me. They are men whose lives I look at and measure how my life emulates and stacks up with. Do I carry the same aspects of character as these men? Biblical and modern life, relatives and friends, there are not very many of these men, but those who I admire in this way are so incredibly valuable to me. Gorden Cook is one of those men and dropped a lot of wisdom on me last week.

"And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent." (I Samuel 17v.54b)

David took the most prevalent proof of killing Goliath to the leaders of the nation. But, he took the armor and kept it, not as a sign for others to see, but rather as a reminder to himself of the battle he fought and how the Lord came through.

With everything that is going on in mine and Carrie's life, it feels like one battle after another. What Gorden did was reminded me of the real need to look back on those pieces of battle that we've taken from previous skirmishes and remember what the Lord has already done. Our great commander and general, our fortress and salvation leads us through the warfare of life. He always comes through... many of us need to remember the incredible ways that HE wins the battle and carries his children.

Fortis esto. Ardens esto. Moderatus esto.

Coram Deo

2009-02-23T07:22:00.000-08:00

coram Deo - "to live one's life in the presence of God, under the authority of God, to the glory of God." literally, the term coram Deo means "before the face of God"

The idea behind coram Deo is something that, since I was in high school and read John Piper for the very first time (after seeing the college ministry at Southcrest Baptist go through "Let the Nations be Glad"), I have tried and tried to live out in my life. In I Corinthians 10v.21, we read "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." Whatever we're doing, we are to live in the knowledge that it is all in front of God's face.

I know that I live this out completely imperfectly and, in fact, am the chief of all hypocrites who seek to do this. But oh, how I wish to remain in a constant state of remembering this truth. In the society in which we live, though, we love to compartmentalize our lives, spiritually and in every other facet.

We seem to think that it really doesn't matter what we do the other six days of the week, as long as we're there on Sunday (or Thursday, if you're in college in some parts). We love to play the game and be "spiritual" or "religious" or even "Christian" people (it saddens me, though, when these "Christians" are the ones who compartmentalize most). How much different would churches be if Believers actually lived out a sense of coram Deo, that every little bit of life is for the glory of the Lord?

The Over-Dramatized Death of Stephen

2009-02-15T04:37:00.000-08:00

As a society, we love having a flare for the dramatic. The movies we watch are full of drama, shows like American Idol and the Bachelor keep many Americans on the edge of their seats, and our teenagers are inundated with the idea that romance, especially teenage romance (if that even really exists) is full of it. We have these overly-dramatic views, too, of scenes from the Bible. These "Alas! Woe is me!!!" Shakespearean scenes of death, torture, glory, etc. One of my favorite examples is Christ's death on the cross.

The common view is of a sickly skinny guy with hair that was once long and flowing, but now matted, giving an Oscar-worthy farewell address. The truth is that Christ, even in death, spoke with authority and power. He bore the pain and took it, as well as the weight of sin, for hours and hours in the heat of the day. There is nothing that says he writhed and squirmed like so many images of the Catholic church portray. I believe that Christ showed another glimpse of His power in how He faced death... not like a weakling, but like someone who knew exactly for what He was dying.

This morning, it strikes me how similar the death of Stephen is. I knew that there was similarity, but what really struck me is the same way in which we tend to over-dramatize his martyrdom. Up until this morning, I'd always thought of Stephen in a nice, long robe just kind of giving a really good speech to a bunch of people who were going to hate him, regardless of what he said. In my mind, for whatever reason, he had almost a whiny appearance. Then there's this conclusion to his incredible speech: "You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you."

Those are not words to be uttered forth by a weak man. Stephen called the Israelites out on their home turf! After speaking of Moses and redemption and Christ, Stephen used the same words to denounce the Israelites. He called them out for being no different than their ancestors, so long before. These Israelites, who thought they had everything figured out and fit into a really solid religious mold, Stephen defied and told to bring it on. We often tend to wonder why the people got so upset with Stephen? Because he knew them and called them out.

For many of us, we tend to think that a lot of guys, in the Bible, went down without a fight. Stephen went down calling out the Israelites (even though he probably knew it was going to be the last thing he ever did on this earth, and it was) and praying for them. There are plenty areas in our lives where we need to call things out and, even if it means an end to us in that area, we go down calling it out and praying, praying, praying.

Long Night, Early Morning

2009-02-11T03:02:00.000-08:00

It is just after 5:00am and my brain is chugging steadily onward towards its morning rush hour of caffeine and sugar in the form of one 20oz. cardboard cup. I have been awake steadily since about 3:45am and off and on before that since Carrie went to sleep at 11:30pm (after a run to McDonald's for a Happy Meal and anxiously awaiting the passing of tornado sirens and massive thunderstorms). I have spent my time dozing, thinking and praying for this beautiful woman next to me. Although it's not even been 24 hours since we came in with Carrie's acute abdominal pain and the procedure done wasn't what one would necessarily consider "major," for my wife to be in any pain is just about enough to make me want to bust some heads.

In these waning moments of night, though, I'm reminded of several things, though:

1. Carrie and I have incredible people around us - our family, friends, co-workers at NEXT, and our fellow Providence church-goers... wow, I've been blown away. We talk and talk and talk about "being" the Church, not just playing church, living missionally and a host of other catch-phrases to make us sound as though we're "different from those other churches and Christians..." but rarely see any difference. Cancel that thought. God has put us in the middle of a network of people who continually challenge, support, tease and yes, even "endure" us. But, more than anything, the Lord has placed us in the middle of an incredible network of people who know what it is to love.

2. The Lord's timing is perfect - So many factors that could have gone wrong... I was out of town all day on Monday, Carrie had an inkling that something was amiss just a few days ago, we didn't have an uber-stressful day ahead at the office, Andy and Robin were already coming down to spend some time with us and also Cassie and Curtis, Cassie was already coming up to the Northern Climes to watch LK for the day... it's ridiculous to see God's hand at work in such huge ways. All of that aside... Carrie found her new OBGYN down here (she was the OBGYN on call for the ER)!

3. I know that there will be rough times in marriage, but, I'm reminded again of the pain that Christ suffered for His Bride, the Church, and that I would willingly take all the pain that Carrie has endured on myself in a heartbeat. - This brought to mind Ligon Duncan's call to husbands from last years "Together for the Gospel" conference when he said these words: "You love your wife in light of how Christ loved the Church. He gave His life up for her and you are to do the same!" In a world awash in the heresy of emasculated men, husbands must be, in the words of Steve Farrar, the "point men" of their families and LEAD. I've been praying that God might enable me to treasure my wife and my daughter even more and I don't know how I could love the woman next to me any more, at this point in life.

God is good. He continues to watch over His people and lead them forward in advancing His Kingdom and, ultimately, magnifying His glory.

Redemption

2009-02-02T13:16:00.000-08:00

As a little boy, I had a fear of being kidnapped. I can remember planning out how I would pretend that someone had already "gotten to me" if there was ever a kidnapper in my house. Whether it was because of movies I saw when I was little, the constant "Have You Seen Me?" advertisements in mailers and at the post office, or even broadcasts in the middle of Chicago Cubs baseball games on WGN, I was scared of being kidnapped and held for ransom. The movie "Man on Fire" was playing in my head almost two decades before it came out.

As we began our new sermon series at Providence over Exodus, some of these thoughts came flooding back to me. Exodus is the story of God's redemption of His people from slavery in Egypt. As I sat there and thought about these fears from childhood, it reminded me of how incredible it is that Christ has redeemed His children.

What would it be like to be kidnapped and not even know it? The heartache, loneliness, abuse, and everything else that comes with our idea of being kidnapped? Or, even worse, to be constantly wooed into a stupor by your kidnapper to where you just thought the things that were going on around you were how things were supposed to be?

To realize and really understand what Christ did in redeeming us is an incredible thought. He paid our ransom so that we might no longer be under the control of the kidnapper. Through His sacrifice, He glorified Himself by purchasing our lives.

We live in a world that doesn't even know it's been kidnapped. In fact, it's very being desires to be with the kidnapper, since we fall into believing that he gives the best treats and candy. Yet, we know the ransom that has been paid, in Christ's blood, for us.

I pray that my daughter and wife know that, if one of them were ever kidnapped, their man would not stop until he had brought them home (as well as their kidnappers...). And to think... Christ has already done this for us!

Will Your Children Remember? (Part II)

2009-01-23T07:41:00.000-08:00

How many children, around the globe, now, will not get to remember anything about Obama's tenure as President of the United States of America because of the lift on banning government funding to international organizations that promote abortion or counsel women to seek abortions?

I realize that this debate goes down every time a new party is in Office, but still, why can we not see life for what it is worth?

My heart is heavy thinking about the implications that this new executive power has... at least for the next four years, America will not be an advocate for children nor for ethics.

Again, the arguments in my head for moving to New Zealand roll in my head like thunder.

Will Your Children Remember?

2009-01-19T07:58:00.000-08:00

I don't know how many times in my life I will hear the question "Where were you when the Towers fell on September 11th?" This is, I guess, my generation's version of "Where were you when President Kennedy was assassinated?" No doubt, after tomorrow's inauguration of our nation's 44th president, the question will be "Where were you when Obama made history?" This question may just be asked several times in his presidency, as we look at new policies and how he will deal with the economy as well as foreign policies.

Bigger than any of these questions, though, and much more important than whether or not your child will remember where they were when President-elect Obama dropped the "elect" from his title, is will your children remember the influence for Christ that you had in their lives. More important than any political ideology or leader, more important than our nation's first black president, more important than any simple slogans to be repeated by the masses ("Hope. Change."), we must teach our children about faith and, even more importantly, live those tenants out for them to see and emulate.

Bring Back the Fireside Chat

2009-01-12T07:11:00.000-08:00

2009 will certainly be a year for change for many things: our economy is going to improve, new big government items are going to be brought into being, the Church is going to continue to grow and worship and bring more people into the community of Christ, Israel will grow in strength (I pray), and many people around the globe will view Obama even more as a sort of saviour.

When it comes to Obama, I've been quite critical of how many things he has copied from his predecessors in the Presidency. Many of his ideas are not original, at all, and have been copied from those who have gone before him. Evidently, though, a lot of his ideas have come from the presidency of FDR, the "New Deal"er, and a fellow Socialist (although Obama is of the neo- variety). If he's going to take one cue from FDR, though, I genuinely hope it's this: bring back the "Fireside Chat."

I know that our society and even culture have moved forward quite a bit since the days of FDR encouraging his people over the radio, but how many modes of communication does Obama have to utilize that haven't been done since the time of FDR? I don't know about most, but I think the idea of our president speaking to his people several times per week is a great idea. Even if I don't agree with a lot of his policies, I think that most people would feel more "in the loop" if more communication directly with the people, rather than through press conferences and whatnot, were carried out through different mediums.

2009 will certainly see me doing a better job of communicating with those who support Carrie and I, as well as just with our loved ones. If you're perusing this blog, then chances are, you may just very well be in that group; here are some ways we can stay in touch:

1. this blog

2. Facebook

3. Brite Kite

4. Twitter (probably my favorite form)

5. better phone calls

6. (although it's quite impersonal) texting

7. email, email, email

Looking Out...

2008-12-18T04:14:00.000-08:00

In my personal study time (what many might call a "Quiet Time") on Tuesday morning, before I happily made my way down from the Northern Climes of Little Elm to Grapevine, I read this particular part of a verse in the book of Jeremiah:

"The land lay subdued before them." (Jeremiah 18v.1b)

This got me thinking: What if we looked at life in this way? Not in a presumptuous way, as though the Lord should give us every single thing we want just because we say a prayer or anything like that... but in the simple knowledge that God truly is in complete control of every aspect of our lives. Would we still be terrified by economic woes? Would we freeze up when someone says we're not being politically correct or sensitive enough? Would we finally be men of faith who would lead in all areas, like we're supposed to?

The land that is our lives lies before us and, although there are definitely wild areas and places where we might come upon things that scare us to the core, we need to know that that land is subdued before us. We serve a mighty God who preserves His children to the end, and it's time that we see this and trust in that strength and love, not to mention grace.

Sleep Deprived? Not Hardly

2008-12-12T03:08:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, I wish that more blogs carried a time-stamp on them, something to let you know not only what day the article was posted, but also what time. I know there are a plethora of thinkers and writers out there who are up at all times of the day and night, sending their thoughts out into the meta whenever it strikes their fancy. I'm just curious as to when most bloggers do their critical thinking and writing.

Since you can't see what time I'm posting this, I'll tell you: 5:10am on Friday morning.

I know that I have a meeting in just over an hour with the FCA leaders of Little Elm High School. I know that I've an accountability meeting at 11:00am. I know that between those two things, I've got stuff to get done at the office. But, I've been up since 4:30am. Conscious since about 4:15am. To most, this would seem like an incredibly horrible thing but, for me, my brain is running on all cylinders and this is becoming a kind of common thing.

I've never been able to sleep like most people. Growing up, I was always a little bit jealous of my buddies who could go to bed at midnight and sleep until noon the next day. For me, I can't sleep past 9:00am, ever. Even if I've stayed up all night, I simply cannot stay asleep after that threshold. I can take naps and have the ability to kind of go into a twilight stage when I need to (I believe Jason Bourne called this "delta meditation"... something to do with the brain's delta waves), but I can't stay in bed. I really started to get worried, as I've only been sleeping in the five to six hour range (with the occasional four hour night) each night.

So, that being said: it's not a lack of exercise, bad heart rate, sleep apnea, or anything else like that. I think I'm just one of the weird ones who only sleep in the four to six range.

Sharpening the Edge

2008-12-09T07:46:00.000-08:00

At Providence, we've been expositionally moving through the book of Ephesians. It has been a great last few months in diving into the Word together with the rest of the body at our church. The title of the series, "Shine," perfectly nails what the book encourages us to do in the world that we live in. Missionally-speaking, we are called to constantly shine in order to glorify Christ Jesus.

On Sunday morning, our pastor, Barry Keldie, drew parallels between Ephesians 5v.25-28 (in husbands loving and leading their wives and families) and Ecclesiastes 10v.10. More and more, there is a great need for men to plug in to one another's lives and build strong, lasting relationships. This is more than just for men to grow individually; it is in order that men might become stronger leaders.

In Ecclesiastes 10v.10: "If the iron is blunt, and one does not sharpen the edge, he must use more strength, but wisdom helps one to succeed." (ESV)

If our hearts, minds and spirits are not sharpened and honed in by the Word, through prayer, and through community both with God and fellow Believers who are men, we must use more and more strength in order to lead our families, churches, and lives. Of course, we know that, on our own strength, we will NEVER be the leaders we need to be. But, we must continue to hold one another accountable in order to sharpen ourselves along this path. Wisdom is the key to leading in any circumstance.

Be wise and continue to hone the iron! Let us continue (or, in many cases, intentionally BEGIN) to meet together in accountability and love.

FCA in Little Elm

2008-12-04T10:36:00.000-08:00

So, after quite the run-around, I finally was OK'd to make contact with the main FCA sponsor at Little Elm High School. My prayer is that, through the FCA program there, I will be able to impact quite a few students and lead them further in their walks with Christ.

I know that, for me at Cooper, FCA was not near as deep as I would have hoped it to be. Several of us tried to change these things, but, for the most part, were not backed up by our peers. I pray that I might be able to help some of these students at Little Elm step up to really lead their peers.

We're getting more and more plugged in at Providence, where we are now officially covenant members; I hope to help the youth guy there, Carl, in getting the youth group started. But, for now, I am hoping to take a few athletes from Little Elm under my wing and begin discipling them there. Who knows? They may even want me to speak or help lead huddle meetings.

Please be in prayer that we might see great potential in the students at LEHS!

The Right Hand

2008-11-25T09:19:00.000-08:00

I returned form our LDC to Romania on Wednesday night, last week, full of excitement for the vision that the Lord has given us in Eastern Europe. In our week spent mainly in Timisoara, Surduc and Lugoj, we were so blessed to be able to network with many pastors with great vision for planting Evangelical churches in their areas of ministry. Upon arriving in Timisoara, we were blessed to be able to meet with the leadership at Stanca Baptist Church as well as the main leader for Campus Crusade in the area. Upon leaving our meeting, we knew that the Lord is moving to do incredible things in the English-speaking expats who live in the city, as well as the numerous international groups of students who are so hungry to know Christ. We then proceeded to the mountains of western-most Transylvania to meet with a large group of pastors, teaching them both the "Catalyst" leadership curriculum as well as "First Steps" church-planting material. They all soaked the material up and immediately began to discuss how to better network their own villages and communities and begin fleshing out what they had just been taught. From there, a couple more meetings in Timisoara and we left Romania with the feeling that the NEXT operations there, next summer, are going to be hugely successful in terms of planting churches and seeing people come to know Christ as Lord and entering into fellowship with other Romanian Believers.

On the flight over, I was poring over the Word and catching up on my "daily readings" (although I've not been very good about doing it daily and am currently a couple of days, i.e. about 12 chapters, behind) and came to the verse, in Exodus 15v.6b where the Word says: "...your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy."

This verse comes from a particular passage that many Bibles subtitle as "The Song of Moses," since it is the song that Moses and the people of Israel sang in reverence and worship to Yahweh. Another verse (15v.3) states, "The Lord is a man of war; the Lord is his name."

We can so often lose sight of the fact that God is such an incredible warrior. Not only does He fight for His glory and renown, but He fights for His people, that they might persevere and, therefore, glorify Him even more in the world in which they live.

I've been meditating and chewing on this particular verse (15v.6b) now for over a week. How awesome is it that our Father, a mighty warrior, fights for His people? Not only does He fight for us and preserve us, but we see that He completely shatters the enemy. I should probably use a capital "E," so, the Enemy. Our God knows the battles and struggles we face, whether in our homes, our personal outlooks on the future, or our spiritual health, and He shatters, utterly destroys, the Enemy. This was vital in reminding me that we, the staff at NEXT, are not the ones who do the saving or have the masterplan for the operations we carry out in foreign fields, or at home, for that matter. It is the Lord!

The Lord carries us with His right hand, the hand of righteousness. With it He also breaks apart evil, both in our lives and in the World. Knowing this, we must see how powerful our God is, and that there is nothing, NOTHING, in this World, of which we need to be terrified or afraid. We know and are loved by a big and mighty God, and there is nothing to worry about in that relationship!

Duty Versus Joy

2008-11-04T11:55:00.000-08:00

Today is the day when millions of people will line up and cast their ballot for who they feel should be the next leader of our nation. I know that there are numerous blog posts, today, covering this, but mine is a little different. You might be the voter who knows every in-and-out of your candidate, what they stand for and why you agree with them. You might be the straight-party voter, not giving any thought to anything but your party. You might be one of the people, like on Howard Stern's radio show, that had absolutely no clue what their candidate stood for, you're just voting on a slogan that makes you feel good. Or, you may be like me, and not vote... not because of anything wrong with the American electoral process, but rather because you didn't take the time to renew your voter registration and are no longer living within your precinct. I think that you should have to work for it, if you're going to vote, so I'm certainly not in favor of spoon-feeding people their abilities (like I've heard-tell of some certain people in Ohio with homeless people who are allowed to register and vote the same day). But, do we vote more out of duty (I don't know how many times already, today, I've heard it called "your civil duty") or out of joy?

Civic duty, to me, conjures up images in my head of sitting in crowded rooms full of people thinking of what they could be doing with their time instead of sitting in a white-walled cell. To me, a civic duty is serving on a jury and just going through the process of probably being eliminated as a potential juror. That is a civic duty, something no one really wants to do, but does in order not to feel guilty, be arrested, etc.

It should be our civic joy to be able to cast our ballot and decide the future of the American nation. We Americans are so ridiculously spoiled towards what goes on within our country that it is pathetic. We must bear in mind all the places around the globe where free elections don't take place, if any elections take place at all. Our elections are not rigged (although there would be some who would try to speak out against the last two), we aren't threatened under gunpoint if we don't vote the right way, and we certainly aren't imprisoned for holding particular political ideologies (although some, perhaps, should be). It should be a joy to get to do what so many Americans are doing today.

It is the same for matters of Christianity. Far too many of us do things in our lives out of duty, to God and the Church, rather than out of joy. We grumble about getting up on Sunday morning, "having" to tithe or support people, and being involved in a deeper way than just showing up to fill a seat. We don't want to help on a search committee, or as a deacon, yet we get upset and threaten to "leave the church" if the pastor says one thing that upsets us and our apathetic walk. We are a silly, immature bunch of people. Our joy in our Saviour should overflow out of everything we do and be seen by all who we encounter. We should not carry forth and walk out our faith grudgingly, as if we are going to the courthouse, but rather with overflowing happiness in serving the God who chose us to save; it wasn't the other way around.

Happy voting, and may we continue to trust the LORD more than any one man.

Christians, the New Enemy

2008-10-28T10:24:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, I got to participate in Providence Church's men's retreat at Camp Amon Carter in northwest Ft. Worth. Aside from tons of junk food, Rock Band on the XBox 360, flag football, chilly weather, goofing off over cups of Starbucks, and typical "camp food" (think 4th grade school lunch, here), our speaker was an incredibly gifted guy named Steve Farrar (www.stevefarrar.com). Mr. Farrar's primary focus when he speaks and writes is leading Christian men to be better husbands, fathers, and overall leaders for Christ. It was so great to hear all that this man challenged us with!

In the second session that Mr. Farrar was speaking, he mentioned something fairly quickly that I had to chew on for some time (in fact, I'm still chewing on it as I write this). It wasn't something that really surprised me or anything like that, since I totally agree with his point on it, but it still just got the gears going. I didn't get a chance to really bring it up with the rest of my Home Group guys, but I plan on it over the next week or so. Anyway, what he said was this:

"In modern America, Christians are the new enemy."

I immediately began to think of the subtle ways in which Christians in our "Christian nation" are beginning to be persecuted, but how many more remain mired in apathy and don't really care. True, passionate and zealous Christianity stands opposed to the way that our nation is going, and that scares a lot of people. Far too many people who claim to follow Christ don't want to rock the boat and remain silent in their lives. We don't want to be seen as going against the flow of everything else that is going on around us, so we masquerade.

Does the statement that we Believers are the new enemy strike fear into our hearts, or does it embolden us and cause us to take strength to press forward? Although it's very subtle, Christianity, I would say, is much more of a threat to people than remote terrorism that we fight in faraway lands. I'm not meaning to sound completely callous towards the tragedies that our nation has faced and the fear that there are terror cells growing from within, even now; but, I would say that most people are more afraid of people with a burning desire to glorify Christ in every area of their lives. The main reason is that this will bring light to the darkness that too many of them are living in, and they're not happy with that.

Are we content with living in darkness, or do we truly desire to be that city on a hill?

Politeness (Ephesians 5v.25)

2008-10-22T10:55:00.000-07:00

When we look at the fruits of the Spirit as listed in Galatians, being polite does not get thrown in the mix. In fact, as far as I know, the idea of politeness isn't exactly hit upon too much in the Bible. We see verses such as "Do unto others..." and then the fruits of the Spirit (which would seemingly point to being polite) as well as verses on being meek and being servants to others. All of these would, in my opinion, point to us being polite in our daily lives. It's a whole lot easier to glorify Christ in helping others rather than being a jerk!

One verse that should be focused on, though, when it comes to talking about being polite is Ephesians 5v.25. This verse doesn't just apply to us being polite, but rather to how we, as men, should love our wives and give ourselves up for them. One of the most powerful sermons I ever heard over this text was given by Dr. Ligon Duncan (Head Pastor at First Presbyterian, Jackson, MS) at T4G (Together for the Gospel) this past summer. As men, we are called to love our wives just as Christ loved the Church. When we think about this and the ramifications it has for us... Christ giving Himself completely, wholly, even to the point of death, we can understand a little bit more about giving to our wives (and even others), not just being polite. In light of that scripture, "polite" is a light word when it comes to serving our wives. But, I think that this can bear others in mind, as well. So, if we love others with this kind of power, we are going to just give more and more of ourselves.

When we know how we're supposed to serve, lead, and carry on as Believers and men, we understand that being polite is not just what we're "supposed" to do as Christians. It is an example of how we're to glorify Christ in our day-to-day living.

Saviour of the Nation?

2008-10-06T08:13:00.000-07:00

On the way into the office this morning, I was behind one of the erratic Metroplex drivers that I've come to "affectionately" expect. As we fought through early-morning school traffic along the corridor known as Eldorado, I noticed a bumper sticker that said "Obama 08, Save Our Nation!" After having the gasoline-on-an-open-flame effect that my coffee (mud) does from the French Press, I was just looking for something to really think about. Why is it that we put so much faith in a man to be the saviour of our nation? We've always discussed it in the mainstream, but it seems that even more and more churches think that their job is not so much to preach the Gospel as to point out political wrongs in our nation and advise people on what choice Jesus would make if He were a registered American voter.

"But I am the Lord your God from the land of Egypt; you know no God but me and beside me there is no Saviour." (Hosea 13v.4)

I'm really tired of the bickering back and forth between our parties about who's going to be the saviour of American society. If there is no saviour apart from Christ, then why do we enjoy labeling men as such? We need to stop putting so much stock in our flawed political system and be on our knees, praying that the real Saviour would save our nation. We don't need saving from poor economies, tax spending and high fuel prices. We need saving from our sinful nature that leads to greed, unwise stewardship, and the lust for comfort. We need saving from the myriad idols we have in American culture.

Benevolence / Mercy

2008-09-29T05:59:00.000-07:00

Zecheriah 7v.8-10: "And the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying, "Thus says the Lord of hosts, Render true judgments, whow kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart."

Benevolence and mercy are all over the Bible. Old Testament, New Testament... we see acts of benevolence and mercy throughout. Of course, the ultimate showing of mercy is God giving us Jesus Christ as Saviour and ultimate sacrifice for our sin. But then, we also see showing kindness towards widows, orphans, the needy, aliens, servants, leaders, and everyone we come in contact with.

Benevolence and mercy are two things that should come naturally to the regenerated heart. These are not natural, however, to the heart of the unrepentant. Why is this? Because, when still mired in sin, we only look out for the one we think is tops in our own minds, "Numero Uno..." ourselves.

We must be vigilante about remembering what Christ did for us in His limitless mercy, and desire to show that exact same kind of mercy in our daily lives.

Courage

2008-09-24T08:20:00.000-07:00

Deuteronomy 31v.6 - "Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you."

As a man, I love movies that embody the characteristic of courage. Whether it's "Saving Private Ryan" or "Band of Brothers," "Braveheart" or "Ferris Buehler's Day Off" (think about the courage that Ferris had in skipping out yet another day of school and facing great punishment with his trip in from the 'burbs to Chi-Town. "24," "The Shield," any football game or rugby match, bull-fighting, the books of Ernest Hemingway, and cigars are other things that embody courageousness. I say cigars because they remind me of Churchill (my favorite historical figure of all time, aside from Christ) and General Patton.

Christian men are called out to live lives of courage and valor. Plain and simple, we are not called to be timid (although we are all guilty of it) nor to be fearful (and there are plenty of things to fear, deep down, in the world that we live in). We are called to rise above this.

Deuteronomy has (seriously) always been one of my favorite books of the Bible. Maybe it's because when I was in third grade, at FBC Lubbock, learning the books of the Bible, I spelled it quicker than Ross Polk and Stuart Blalock. Maybe it's because, deep-down, I'm very much a legalist... in pretty much all areas of my life. Maybe it's just because it's one of the main books of the Law, and I have had spouts of desiring to be a lawyer at all different points in my life (in fact, I changed majors in college thinking that I was going to go into International Law). This verse, though, is one big reason I enjoy the book of Deuteronomy, though.

We are called to be strong and to trust in the Lord, not to fear "them." Who is Them? "Them," in my opinion, isn't just a physical foe (like the Springboks), but envelopes all the things that the World tends to throw at us in its attempts to break our wills and hearts. In everything that we face in this life, we MUST remember that God goes before us. Truly loving and trusting in Him, we understand that all of the hardships and doubts we fear and must face are ultimately for His glory. We take great hope in this fact. But, in knowing that God is the one who goes before us, we have the freedom to trust in His strength, in His power, and ultimately, in His goodness towards His children. Knowing this, we can face any circumstance that life throws at us with courage.

Justice

2008-09-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

Jeremiah 22v.3 says, "Thus says the Lord: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place."

The idea of "justice" has become more of a post-Modern, "Do what you think is right." statement in the world that we live in. Whatever the individual thinks about justice MUST be justified, right? I mean, that's there personal stance. And yet, how much injustice runs rampant throughout the world based on these flimsy ideas of everyone coming up with their own idea of what real justice is?

Justice is something that far too many of us won't take a stand for, for fear that the injust could come back around on us. We are weak and pathetic little people. The whole "...deliver from the hand of the oppressor..." part of Scripture gets left out of our lives because so many of our lives are based entirely on fear.

And yet, we are the most blessed BECAUSE OF injustice. It was not "just" (humanly speaking) that Christ should die for us. It was not "just" that He took the place of His elect. What is just is that the wages of sin is death, eternal damnation and separation from God, and that we're all headed to Hell without the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

So, yes, fight against those who rob, murder, kill and steal. Take a stand against SOMETHING! And give thanks that we are not justified of our own merit, but rather by Jesus Christ.

Bushido Intro

2008-09-15T07:55:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure that I speak for the vast majority of men when I say that we love, and I do mean LOVE, having heroes (especially historical ones) who we can look back on and see a true commitment to what it means to be a man. Whether that be William Wallace, Winston Churchill, King David, or Andrew Jackson, we all have certain men who we can look back at and think, "Wow... I wish I could be more like that guy." Sadly, though, we live in an age where people have stopped really "thinking" about most things, period, so the idea of thinking about heroes in any sense than, "What a cool guy!" is a bit foreign to many men. This could be just one reason why men don't act like men should. But, I must say that there is great value in looking back, studying, and appreciating those who have gone before us, and seeing what qualities they lived out that we would do well to add or refine more in our lives.

There are several blogs and websites that I frequent almost on a daily basis. The official website for the New Zealand All-Blacks, Pyromaniacs, Facebook, Providence Church, City on a Hill Albequerque and a few others are on that list. One site / blog that I've just added to the daily list is called "The Art of Manliness." In a recent blog article, they talk about the Bushido Code. If you don't know, this is basically the code that ruled a Samurai's life in feudal Japan (not many men still really live by this code). There are eight main points, and I want to look at each one individually and how still very relevant these things are.

The Bushido Code is as follows:

1. Rectitude / Justice

2. Courage

3. Benevolence / Mercy

4. Politeness

5. Honesty / Sincerity

6. Honor

7. Loyalty

8. Character / Self-Control

Although these are things that men, globally, should probably live out, I want to look at how we, as Christian men, live them out from a Biblical perpective. Stay tuned for more...

-K-

Forgetfulness (Deuteronomy 4:9)

2008-09-04T10:35:00.000-07:00

So I have a confession.... not that this will surprise many of you. I struggle with forgetting things. It seems that I've always got at least 217 projects thundering around in my head, and, if I don't write them down, I'll forget the majority of them. Some people call it adult ADD; I call it being spontaneously forgetful. Regardless, I was reading through Deuteronomy 4 this morning and saw the spiritual ramifications of forgetfulness, and how they even apply to this blog!

Beginning way back when, the Jewish nation developed a very strong culture of recounting the awesome works of the Lord, throughout their history. I mean, when you hear about the Exodus, the plagues, conquering other peoples, and the other things that happened in Israel's past, you can't help but think, "Wow!" The continual re-telling of these events only gave their children a stronger sense of the things that God had done. This was in order that the people may never forget.

We've sort of lost sight of the need to recount the awesome things that the Lord has done, though, in our day and age. It seems that many parents want to let their eleven and twelve year olds make "the choice" to be involved or no with things of the church. It's hard for me not to want to beat these people over the heads for thinking that their pre-pubescent CHILD is capable of making the best choice for their lives. It's like telling a small child to choose the occupation at a very early age (not too many of us actually grow up to be astronauts or Indian chiefs).

Even in my own life, how often do I forget the things of God and think, "Why in the world did you guide me to this particular situation? How are you going to provide?!!" Then I'm slapped in the face and know that I have a lack of faith and strength and that nothing gets done on my own power so how dare I be so conceited and small? Same goes for even this blog... perfect way of communicating, yet, I forget. It is horrible to forget.

Before I digress into uncharted waters, we love you all, are thankful for those of you we got to talk to over our brief time in Lubbock, and look forward to hearing from all of you soon! Enjoy the September edition of "Holding the Line!"

-K-

Oh MAN!

2008-08-05T06:22:00.000-07:00

There are times when I look to do the most embarrassing thing possible. "Why?!!" you might ask. I like to see people's reactions when embarrassing things, goofy things, things that, if they experienced them, might make them turn beet red and hide, happen to someone else (me). There are so many different reactions... from being ignored as a nuisance to someone doubling over, agonizing over the ab workout they're suddenly getting from laughing so hard. It's fun, for the most part, to make others smile.

There are also times, though, when I can be the one who wants to hide. Times of self-conscious indignation. Times of embarrassment for who I am. Times that I wish I was in New Zealand, either in a mountain stream on the South Island or on a rugby paddock busting knuckles and heads. There are times that I give much more thought to who I am around and what they might think of me than on simply doing what I need to be doing.

You might think that these "episodes" would come at places like the gym, while shopping for clothes, or even in an office setting or while teaching somewhere. The truth is, they don't. The truth is... they spring up out of nowhere. Different situations lead to me wanting to make the best possible impression. They're not always the same. In fact, they're rarely ever in the same situation. But, about once a week, some spontaneous episode of concern for what others might think weighs on me.

"Stop regarding man, in whose nostrils is breath, for of what account is he?" (Isaiah 2.v.22)

There it is... the real way to look at what people think of me.