- Think about it
- Pray
- Read Scripture that is related to the decision
- Meditate on this Scripture (and other Scripture)
- Think some more
- Pray
- Over think it
- Seek wise counsel
- Pray more
- Make a decision
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Decision Making Process
Labels:
thoughts
Friday, December 19, 2008
Complementarian Swing Dancing
The way the man must lead the woman ("Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord") to make her look good ("Husbands, love your wives") is a beautiful picture of complementarianism in action. We could all learn a lot from dancing. I think I'll go more often.
Labels:
thoughts
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Current Reading
In progress:
- 1 Corinthians - The Apostle Paul
- Death By Love - Mark Driscoll
- When Sinners Say "I Do" - Dave Harvey
- Systematic Theology - Wayne Grudem
- Seeing And Savoring Jesus Christ - John Piper
- The Light Fantastic - Terry Pratchett
- Living By The Book - Howard Hendricks
- Worldliness - C.J. Mahaney
- Mortification of Sin - John Owen
- The Myth of Certainty - Daniel Taylor
- Hebrews - Unknown
- Lots of Spurgeon
- More Discworld Novels - Terry Pratchett
Labels:
reading
Roles and Adoption
I just have to share these two articles.
- The first is part 1 of a series that C.J. Mahaney is writing on Roles. It's a long read but a fantastic view of our situations and vocations. I don't quite get it all yet, but this is something that I've been processing a lot since entering the working world.
- The second is part 3 of a series of reflections on the recent adoption of a little girl Mya. All three of these posts have touched me, but this one resonated so clearly with my desire to fulfill James 1:27 in my own life (specifically through adoption and working with the elderly). I hope and pray that everyone who reads these posts are convicted to adopt as well.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
Reflections on Adoption
This just seemed like a very honest word. Until the last paragraph broke my heart. I have a good friends who is adopted. Reading this reminded me of how he talks about it, how if his mom had decided on an abortion he'd be dead, how much his parents love him, how he can appreciate his adoption by God through his adoption by his parents. The Lord is moving in my heart; I think that if I ever am blessed with a family, we will adopt.
Reflections on Our Adoption - Part 1
Bonding with your adoptive child is very different than bonding with your biological children, especially for the mother.
With our first three kids, my wife had nine months of literal physical connection with this child inside of her, another 9 months or so of breast-feeding (I am told this is a very bonding experience with a child), and the child most-likely looks very similar to one of the parents, so there is a visual bond as well.
With an adopted child none of these experiences occur. We had three weeks to get used to the idea from the time we verbally committed to the time we picked her up. No breast feeding, and this black child couldn't look any less different than the rest of our family. (We are about as white bread as they come.) These factors contribute to the bonding process taking a bit longer. For me it hasn't really sunk in yet that she is ours. It kind of feels like we have a precious little visitor in our home right now. It's quite surreal.
None of these sentiments speaks to regret in the least, it's just me being honest with some feelings that dance around the edges. I have heard from other adoption parents that this is pretty much universally the case with adoptive parents who first had biological children. It just takes longer. Nothing to worry about, just embrace the reality and be patient.
These feeling have been challenging, but I am left to ask this question as well: What part of our adoption by The Father was easy? Cross-bearing is never easy, in fact the cost is exceedingly great, but the blessing is also mind blowingly great as well. By adopting sinners, did not our Father adopt children into his family that were infinitely different than Him?
Labels:
links
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Talking
Talking is not always something I do well. I often talk only as long as I have a purpose or goal in the conversation. Once that goal has been reached, there is no longer any need to talk (because of course talking for the sake of getting to know someone or having any sort of relationship isn't important).
However, the opposite can be a problem too. If I begin a conversation and am in the proper mood, or feel like you are a trustworthy person, I can talk way too much. While you consider me to be an acquaintance, I will be treating you as a long time friend. Enter awkward situations. All that simply because how we perceive each other.
Perception is an incredible thing. Think about this: not only did God create buildings, but He also created the way that those in the foreground appear to be moving faster than those in the background as we walk past. God designed how things appear to us.
However, the opposite can be a problem too. If I begin a conversation and am in the proper mood, or feel like you are a trustworthy person, I can talk way too much. While you consider me to be an acquaintance, I will be treating you as a long time friend. Enter awkward situations. All that simply because how we perceive each other.
Perception is an incredible thing. Think about this: not only did God create buildings, but He also created the way that those in the foreground appear to be moving faster than those in the background as we walk past. God designed how things appear to us.
Labels:
thoughts
Be A Better Man
Reading about the effects of egalitarianism makes me want to be a better man.
Labels:
links
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
My Source Of Satisfaction
I am grateful to have a blog.
As I go through my day, I think of things I could say here. The temptation has struck me very recently to complain through this venue. Fear of man prevented me from doing this, as I want to make a good impression on anyone who may stumble upon any of these writings. But as I thought on what I can say here the Lord convicted me, not only of my fear of man, but also of my lack of faith. I was tempted to complain about loneliness. God, in His mercy, prevented me from voicing this in the way that I wanted to. So now I speak about it not as complaining, but as confession.
I wanted to go to a concert and I didn't want to go alone. I asked a number of people and they all had reasons not to come. I was hurt. Satan whispered "No one wants to spend time with you. You're not interesting. You're not valuable. They like spending time with other people more than you. You're always second choice, or probably lower for most people. No one really enjoys spending time with you." The devil knows where I struggle. The half truths wedge themselves in my brain and I felt miserable. But God is faithful.
I praise God that in the midst of this, He was there. I knew He wanted me for Himself. But I chose to continue pursuing the company of other people, only to encounter more disappointment and pain.
The concert was great. The songs were so filled with truth, and the central theme was the fear of man. The music was phenomenal and made me want to be in a band (as concerts usually do). I talked with a bunch of folks from BBC who were also at the concert, which was really good, and then watched some of The Return of the King with Matt. While all that stuff was good and made me feel better, it missed the point. The point was that I sought satisfaction in other people and didn't listen to God when He tried to point me toward Himself.
I didn't listen when He said "come be with Me. I'm all you need. Rest in Me. I love you so much. I love you so much I died for you. I didn't need to. It doesn't matter that you are awkward or kooky, that's the way I made you. I love the real you, not the super christian you have in your mind. And I am worth knowing. I am the Creator of the Universe. I am the Alpha and Omega. I am the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. I AM ...and I love you"
I'm listening now.
As I go through my day, I think of things I could say here. The temptation has struck me very recently to complain through this venue. Fear of man prevented me from doing this, as I want to make a good impression on anyone who may stumble upon any of these writings. But as I thought on what I can say here the Lord convicted me, not only of my fear of man, but also of my lack of faith. I was tempted to complain about loneliness. God, in His mercy, prevented me from voicing this in the way that I wanted to. So now I speak about it not as complaining, but as confession.
I wanted to go to a concert and I didn't want to go alone. I asked a number of people and they all had reasons not to come. I was hurt. Satan whispered "No one wants to spend time with you. You're not interesting. You're not valuable. They like spending time with other people more than you. You're always second choice, or probably lower for most people. No one really enjoys spending time with you." The devil knows where I struggle. The half truths wedge themselves in my brain and I felt miserable. But God is faithful.
I praise God that in the midst of this, He was there. I knew He wanted me for Himself. But I chose to continue pursuing the company of other people, only to encounter more disappointment and pain.
The concert was great. The songs were so filled with truth, and the central theme was the fear of man. The music was phenomenal and made me want to be in a band (as concerts usually do). I talked with a bunch of folks from BBC who were also at the concert, which was really good, and then watched some of The Return of the King with Matt. While all that stuff was good and made me feel better, it missed the point. The point was that I sought satisfaction in other people and didn't listen to God when He tried to point me toward Himself.
I didn't listen when He said "come be with Me. I'm all you need. Rest in Me. I love you so much. I love you so much I died for you. I didn't need to. It doesn't matter that you are awkward or kooky, that's the way I made you. I love the real you, not the super christian you have in your mind. And I am worth knowing. I am the Creator of the Universe. I am the Alpha and Omega. I am the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. I AM ...and I love you"
I'm listening now.
Labels:
confession
Monday, December 8, 2008
Relationships
My roommate Cloid and I had an incredible discussion tonight. Cloid is a man I respect so much and love as a brother in Christ.
Lets set the stage. I am considering considering dating/courting/whatever you want to call having a romantic relationship. I am reading my bible and have questions/thoughts/concerns. Cloid is engaged to Ashley. We are in Richards room. I like talking with Cloid. Cloid likes talking to me.
Enter 1 Corinthians 7.
The primary reason I was initially drawn to this passage is because I want to know how I should feel about believers marrying unbelievers (it is much more complicated than that, but that's the foundation). I see the sections of verses 1-5 talking to married people, vv. 8-11 addressing singles and married folks, and vv. 12-16 speaking to those who were saved while married and their spouse is still an unbeliever. I see how 17-24 parallels 25-31 in the sense that we should remain as we are ("in view of the present distress"), though they address the issue with different reasons and implementation.
Verses 32-35 speak to how marriage divides our "interests". This is where a large part of our discussion took place. Now having an interest in something implies more than just enjoying it. So if I say "I'm interested in politics", Paul would be assuming you are involved in politics as well. Except for him (and for all believers), instead of politics, we should be interested in how to please the Lord. When you get married, however, your "interests are divided" and you become anxious about worldly things, how to please your wife/husband. This is right! Don't think that we should feel ashamed of being married! There are so many reasons to get married, and in 1 Corinthians Paul highlights how it prevents your passions from becoming sin (v.9). In Ephesians he speaks to how marriage of a man and woman should reflect the relationship between Christ and the Church (Eph. 5:22-33). These are just what come to my mind immediately, but Jesus speaks to marriage also.
Verses 36-38 address whether two people who are "betrothed" should get married. Now I didn't really know what it meant to be betrothed, but Cloid had heard somethings about it. The ESV note always read that "betrothed" could also mean "virgin", but knowing the english language would tell us that this word implies a commitment. Cloid shed some light by explaining how in this culture, being betrothed meant that a woman was promised to a man, similar to engagement in our culture. However, the man would go and prepare for marriage by working toward some sort of financial situation or just accomplishing things that were "needed" before actually getting married. This makes the parables about the virgins waiting for their betrothed but running out of oil come even more alive. Those women didn't actually know when he was coming! It could be months, years, or even weeks.
This is most likely why Paul speaks to those who are betrothed and tells them that "If anyone thinks that he is not behaving properly toward his betrothed, if his passions are strong, and it has to be, let him do as he wishes: let them marry—it is no sin." (v.36) I read this and think of Paul saying "to avoid sinning because of your lack of self control, you should get married." Now, being betrothed is not the same as being engaged, so it isn't completely synonomous, but the principle is still good. Paul meant what he said in verse 9.
From that point we talked more about proper motivations for getting married (a rational founding in Biblical truths + romantic feelings + love of God) and how those things interact. I worry that any romantic feelings I may have would come from a place of selfishness, so we talked about the interaction between the ideal person we desire to be and the person we actually are. This was especially helpful in realizing that, in this life, I will never have completely pure motives in my actions (though I should strive for that). Romantic feelings must distinguish themselves from the love that we should already have for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Cloid thought pure and good romantic feelings might stem from a desire for oneness that goes beyond the normal bond between the children of God and that seems reasonable to me. For sure it's not exclusive, but it was a satisfying thought.
This was not a rigorous regurgitation of our conversation, but I hope you get the gist. These thoughts have been mulling over in my mind for a while now, and while this is certainly not the whole of them, it is a nice long look. Thanks for reading!
Lets set the stage. I am considering considering dating/courting/whatever you want to call having a romantic relationship. I am reading my bible and have questions/thoughts/concerns. Cloid is engaged to Ashley. We are in Richards room. I like talking with Cloid. Cloid likes talking to me.
Enter 1 Corinthians 7.
The primary reason I was initially drawn to this passage is because I want to know how I should feel about believers marrying unbelievers (it is much more complicated than that, but that's the foundation). I see the sections of verses 1-5 talking to married people, vv. 8-11 addressing singles and married folks, and vv. 12-16 speaking to those who were saved while married and their spouse is still an unbeliever. I see how 17-24 parallels 25-31 in the sense that we should remain as we are ("in view of the present distress"), though they address the issue with different reasons and implementation.
Verses 32-35 speak to how marriage divides our "interests". This is where a large part of our discussion took place. Now having an interest in something implies more than just enjoying it. So if I say "I'm interested in politics", Paul would be assuming you are involved in politics as well. Except for him (and for all believers), instead of politics, we should be interested in how to please the Lord. When you get married, however, your "interests are divided" and you become anxious about worldly things, how to please your wife/husband. This is right! Don't think that we should feel ashamed of being married! There are so many reasons to get married, and in 1 Corinthians Paul highlights how it prevents your passions from becoming sin (v.9). In Ephesians he speaks to how marriage of a man and woman should reflect the relationship between Christ and the Church (Eph. 5:22-33). These are just what come to my mind immediately, but Jesus speaks to marriage also.
Verses 36-38 address whether two people who are "betrothed" should get married. Now I didn't really know what it meant to be betrothed, but Cloid had heard somethings about it. The ESV note always read that "betrothed" could also mean "virgin", but knowing the english language would tell us that this word implies a commitment. Cloid shed some light by explaining how in this culture, being betrothed meant that a woman was promised to a man, similar to engagement in our culture. However, the man would go and prepare for marriage by working toward some sort of financial situation or just accomplishing things that were "needed" before actually getting married. This makes the parables about the virgins waiting for their betrothed but running out of oil come even more alive. Those women didn't actually know when he was coming! It could be months, years, or even weeks.
This is most likely why Paul speaks to those who are betrothed and tells them that "If anyone thinks that he is not behaving properly toward his betrothed, if his passions are strong, and it has to be, let him do as he wishes: let them marry—it is no sin." (v.36) I read this and think of Paul saying "to avoid sinning because of your lack of self control, you should get married." Now, being betrothed is not the same as being engaged, so it isn't completely synonomous, but the principle is still good. Paul meant what he said in verse 9.
From that point we talked more about proper motivations for getting married (a rational founding in Biblical truths + romantic feelings + love of God) and how those things interact. I worry that any romantic feelings I may have would come from a place of selfishness, so we talked about the interaction between the ideal person we desire to be and the person we actually are. This was especially helpful in realizing that, in this life, I will never have completely pure motives in my actions (though I should strive for that). Romantic feelings must distinguish themselves from the love that we should already have for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Cloid thought pure and good romantic feelings might stem from a desire for oneness that goes beyond the normal bond between the children of God and that seems reasonable to me. For sure it's not exclusive, but it was a satisfying thought.
This was not a rigorous regurgitation of our conversation, but I hope you get the gist. These thoughts have been mulling over in my mind for a while now, and while this is certainly not the whole of them, it is a nice long look. Thanks for reading!
Labels:
thoughts
Be Gracious With Me
I would ask anyone who reads what I write here to do so with a full helping of grace. I am flawed and sinful, deserving of Gods wrath but saved by the death of Jesus Christ. I'm still in the process of sanctification. I'll say wrong things, be arrogant, miss the point, etc. Please correct my mistakes, while forgiving them as Christ already has. Thank you so much!
Labels:
random
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Correction
Flattery doesn't help, we should be correcting each other. We should be ready and willing to confront others in a loving and prayerful manner.
Please be correcting me. Rebuke me for sin, approach me when I do something that bothers you, please tell me! And please do it in a loving, prayerful, Christ-centered manner. Exhortation must be done in a spirit of humility and self examination, not with a holier-than-thou attitude. Examine your heart to see if you are in line with the Scriptures command to "exhort one another every day, as long as it is called 'today,' that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." Meditate on Hebrews 3:13.
Please be gracious to me with one time offenses, but love me enough to point out constant sin or trouble spots in my life. It will be hard. It will hurt.
But say the hard thing, it's worth it.
Please be correcting me. Rebuke me for sin, approach me when I do something that bothers you, please tell me! And please do it in a loving, prayerful, Christ-centered manner. Exhortation must be done in a spirit of humility and self examination, not with a holier-than-thou attitude. Examine your heart to see if you are in line with the Scriptures command to "exhort one another every day, as long as it is called 'today,' that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." Meditate on Hebrews 3:13.
Please be gracious to me with one time offenses, but love me enough to point out constant sin or trouble spots in my life. It will be hard. It will hurt.
But say the hard thing, it's worth it.
Labels:
thoughts
I Am Second
i am second
This is quickly becoming one of my favorite websites. It is so good to hear the power of the Gospel in peoples lives so clearly. I haven't seen all the videos yet, but I do have a few favorites thus far.
This is quickly becoming one of my favorite websites. It is so good to hear the power of the Gospel in peoples lives so clearly. I haven't seen all the videos yet, but I do have a few favorites thus far.
Labels:
links,
testimonies
Ellie Got Her Visa!
My friend Ellie has been trying to get a missionary visa for the last 7 months in order to go to Brazil for deaf ministry. This Friday, she got it. The following is the email she sent out letting us all know how it went down (I hope it's ok to share this, let me know if it's not). This link will take you to the email she sent out.
Labels:
friends,
missionaries
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
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