Update: long time coming

So, it's been over a month since I updated my blog. It's been busy, and I suppose I don't think of updating this as often as I should. It's been a good month, a good semester, and a good year. So much has changed in the past year. December 2008, God let me know I was coming to seminary and I moved here the first of August. It's all still new, but the routines are beginning to set in. I have completed my first semester and while not all my grades have been posted, I believe that by God's grace I did well in my first classes. He provided a job at Chick-fil-a that I am so thankful for. God recently allowed me to be promoted to Team Leader with its new opportunities and challenges. I am thankful for the new challenges, it reminds me how completely dependent I am upon His grace each day. I'm thankful for the friends God has given me and the many brothers and sisters I have met both at Chick-fil-a and at the Seminary at large. I am also thankful for God's provision over my needs. I didn't have a job when I moved here, but God gave me one within a week of arriving.

My God is one who hears and answers the prayers of His children. But beyond that, He is a Father who does what is right and good. The things I needed, He has always provided. I have always had more than enough of the things I need. Beyond that, He has provided good things beyond my basic needs. My apartment has heat, but not air conditioning. When I moved here in August, I decided not to purchase an air conditioner but to wait. I had an oscillating fan that kept the temperature bearable and a ceiling fan in the bedroom. Our radiator heat works more than adequately and I actually find it necessary to open the window to balance the heat. A couple weeks ago a friend had the opportunity to move out of his apartment down the hall from mine into a house with some friends. He left me his air conditioner. My oscillating fan stopped working the day he gave me the air conditioner. My parents came up for Christmas and have installed it. I have it set on fan right now and it works far better than the fan. I'm thankful that God knew the fan would stop working and had it happen on the day He also put it in my friend's mind to give me his air conditioner. Dad and Mom gave me a microwave and coffee maker for Christmas. These will make life so much easier and I am thankful that God has provided these luxuries. A stomach virus was going around a few weeks ago. Several of my friends had missed a day at work because of it. A couple weeks ago at work I began feeling really sick. I went to the bathroom and asked God to please allow me to feel better. That He knew I needed to be at work that night. I walked out of the bathroom and went back to work and didn't even remember that I hadn't felt well until I was driving home. How gracious of God to allow me to feel not just better but well that night.

Time after time God has provided for the things I have asked of Him and many times provided things that I didn't ask. I didn't ask God to provide an air conditioner or a microwave. These weren't things I had to have, yet in His kindness, He put it upon the hearts of people and gave me these things.

I feel it necessary in today's society to clarify this post. Jesus said not to worry about what we will eat or wear that our Heavenly Father who clothes the lilies of the field and feeds the birds of the air knows what we need before we need it and that He as our Father knows the needs of His children even before we ask. That doesn't mean people don't suffer and that at times a Christian may not be in physical need. The thing about it is that God is infinitely wiser that any human being and has a broader perspective than any of us can imagine. He sees every life as part of a grand tapestry of human history. Each of our lives as a stitch that does not escape His careful gaze. The Bible says that people don't live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. The apostle Paul speaks of having times of plenty and of times of need but that he learned through all of this that God's grace is sufficient and His strength made perfect in Paul's weakness. Is learning that God's grace is sufficient in all physical circumstances worth times of physical need. Yes! Because in the span of eternity with God that lesson is of far greater value than a day's meat and bread. Think of a child who wants to eat a large bowl of macaroni and cheese before bed. That child is very upset when the parents say no. Macaroni and cheese isn't bad for children, but perhaps the parents know it would sit too heavy in the child so late at night and perhaps the parents also know that the child is running a fever and that a virus is going around and the milk in the dish would probably make the child feel worse. These are beyond the child's understanding. They feel deprived of something good, but the parents understand that ultimately it would not be good for their child. In the same way the Triune God of the Universe cares enough to know when a bowl of mac & cheese is a bad idea even and especially when we don't. That being said, such things are far beyond my meager understanding. All that I know is that God is good and does good. He has met my needs and beyond each day and has taught me to trust in Him.

Happy New Year.

Marks of a True Christian

My study Bible has this heading (Marks of a True Christian) over these verses from Romans chapter 12. I find this incredibly convicting. How often I do not love as I ought how often I do not pray constantly or am impatient in trials. How often I do not bless those who curse me or I think myself wise or fail to do all I can to live in peace with everyone. May God forgive me and conform me more and more each day. May I never take the "least of these" things lightly, for they are all equally abhorent to the glory of the living God.

9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Stretching a dollar

I read a few minutes ago about a First Baptist Church that is planning to spend $130 million dollars on a really fancy building renovation. The pictures look great. The building will have green space and nifty fountains and glass breezeways. I'm not claiming to know how a church should spend its money. I don't know all the statistics, but what I do know is that the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention has missionaries trained and wanting to go serve internationally, but there is insufficient funding. I know that there are communities all over the United States who need to hear the truth of the Gospel, but there isn't money to fund these either. A missionary is paid around $40,000 a year. $130 million is funding for 3,250 missionaries for one year. I heard about this area in South Asia where there have been bad flooding and a food shortage. The Christians there are a small minority. In this area, everyone only takes care of those who share their religious views and because the Christian community is so small, they don't have many people to help them. A missionary there watched a Christian woman hold her son as he died from starvation in her arms because they would not recant their belief in Christ, so their neighbors wouldn't help them. This happened this month. I can only imagine how much food $130 million could buy in parts of the world that are desperate for help.

I'm no expert; I just wonder if there are other places to invest this money...

Twix

I buy groceries on Sunday because I like routine. The seasonal section that last Saturday was packed with Halloween candy today was filled with Christmas candy and decorations. We seem to have missed Thanksgiving somehow. I was hoping to buy a piece of candy today because, well, I just wanted some chocolate, but it is too early for peanut butter Christmas trees. As delicious as they are, they shouldn't be eaten before Thanksgiving. So, after perusing the selection, I went with my sentimental favorite- the Twix bar. When I was little, my grandfather kept mini Twix bars at their house in their bedroom. Whenever I visited, he would give me one. Whenever I eat a Twix, I think of him. I don't eat Twix bars a lot, it seems a little strange to get teary eyed eating a candy bar. They're both with the Lord now (that's their picture below). What about you? What smell, sound or taste brings up some special sentimental memory?

Fall

It is definitely fall here. The weather is cooler and the trees are turning autumn colors. I went for a walk at a local park today with some friends. The walk was beautiful. Once I figure out where I put my batteries when I moved or when I have time to go to the store and buy batteries, I'll post some pictures of the trees (unless I don't get batteries before winter :)). Tonight is Chick-fil-a's costume party and kids night. All the employees are dressing up. I will be a moose tonight because the only thing I could find at Target was a set of reindeer ears (WAY too early for Christmas decorations). So reindeer ears and facepaint and a brown shirt and I'm a moose. There probably won't be any pictures of me as a moose either :)

Fall Break

We're on fall break this week from class! My plan is to use my "class times" this week to finish up a couple of books and write a couple papers. I'm almost finished with a book I'm reading for Intro to New Testament. It's called The Sermon on the Mount: The Character of a Disciple by Daniel Doriani. If you're looking for a good book, I recommend it! Hoping for a restful and productive week :)

Church History

It is about the middle of the semester, so midterms have begun. I had my first one last night in Systematic Theology. I should find out in a week or two how I did. This coming Monday is a test in Church History. I must say that I thoroughly enjoy the church history class. I've always enjoyed history and it is really interesting to see how everything formed into what it is now. More than that though, studying these early days of Christianity has given me so much to think about and contemplate. Here are a few of the things I've been thinking about because of this course:

We are studying the early period of the church and are around the 400s right now. As I've been studying for this test, I have been thinking about the persecution of Christians. One of the early churchmen, Tertullian said "the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church," which certainly seems to be true as the church grew from about 1,000 people in 40AD to 33.8 million around 350. I was especially struck by the rule of an emperor named Galerius who ruled in the early 300s. He was really the last great persecutor of Christians before Christianity became a legal religion. He seized property and other belongings of Christians, destroyed churches, burned scripture and gave confessing Christians the option of sacrificing to the Roman gods or suffering torture, at times leading to death and other times causing people to severly maimed. What is most striking to me is that when Galerius became ill and was dying, he issued an edict ending the persecution of Christians and asking them to pray for his health. Wow! What was it about these men and women who were willing to suffer and die that caused this emperor to ask them to pray for him. I want to be that kind of Christian. I want to be the kind of person that someone who wishes ill on me would recognize the power of my God to such an extent that given a difficult situation, they would realize that prayers to my God is their only hope. May God in His mercy make me that kind of person.

Something else striking to me is the different outlook between that era and our own. Many of the emperors who launched persecutions did so because they saw the steady decline of the Roman empire and believed it was being caused by the loss of Roman culture. Specifically, they believed the gods were angry with them because the Christians and Jews refused to worship them. Many of the persecutions began in the name of ridding the Roman empire of those who were angering the gods. Even in the case of Galerius, he seems to have recognized the power of the Christian God. In 259, the emperor at the time, Valerian was defeated in battle by the Persians. They killed, skinned and stuffed him and made him into a footstool. Many Romans saw this humiliation as a judgement from the Christian God because Valerian had church elders and deacons killed and Christianity experienced a short time of peace as a result.

I say this because the idea that the gods or that God would be angry and that some type of event could be caused by God's judgement is not a popular thing today. If an earthquake struck a city in the ancient Roman empire, the Romans would say "What have we done to anger our gods?" If an earthquake strikes America today, many would say "Where is your God? If there is a God, why would He allow this evil to come upon us?" What a difference in the response! I want to be careful with this because I want to try not to be misundersood. I am not saying that if everyone just followed the rules there would never be another earthquake or flood. We live in a world that has been dramatically affected by sin such that everything is not as it was in the beginning when God declared it to be good. Part of this world scarred by sin is storms and wicked acts by people. I am saying though that God does not owe us anything. Without God's hand of protection upon us, we would perish in every sense of the word and God would be absolutely just in allowing this to be so. Salvation is a gift. Each day He allows us to live is a gift. I do not think it is unreasonable that when we are faced with a disaster and are calling upon God for His mercy in dealing with us in that situation, that we consider our own hearts and repent of any sins in our lives. We are very human-centered as a society. It isn't just in how we respond to trouble, it's in our focus at many churches, it's in our goals and aims in life. The first question in the Westminster catechism is "What is the chief end of man?" and the answer is "The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever." Practically, this means that as a Christian when I contemplate what I want out of my life, my answer should be that I want to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Not to be happy or to have enough of anything or to feel personally fulfilled. These aren't necessarily bad things, but they are all lesser things. My goal at church should not be to feel good when I leave or to have five steps to greater self esteem. My goal in my personal life, my goal in worship at church, my goal in my classes and my goal at work should be to glorify God and enjoy Him. The medieval reformers said it well Soli Deo Gloria - To the glory of God alone.

God, please forgive my wicked heart for seeking after other things when I should be seeking after You. May You be all I seek, to Your glory alone.